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2) MUMosere 
S95 Us) 


: urming'yourzown BRS 


e 65816 ‘Supér Proctssof 


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C O N T 


N T 


° ISSUE 12 


COMMODORE 


WORLD 


‘THE MEWS MAGAZINE FOR CoMMODONE 64. 


Generat MaNaGer 
Charles R. Christianson 
Sa 
Eoitor 
Doug Cotton 
Sa 
Assistant Eoitor 
Jenifer Esile 
oa 
Aoverrisina Sates 
Charles A, Christianson 
(413) 525-0023 
Sa 
ProToGRapHy 
Wayne Wrubel 
° 
Grapiic Arts 
Doug Colton 
Jenifer Esile 
Sa 
Evectronic Pre-Préss & PainTING 
Mansir/Holden, Inc. 
° 
Cover Design by Jenifer Exile 


Commodoro™ and the respective Commodore product names. 
aro trademarks oF registorod tradomarks of Escom GmbH, 
Commodore World is in no way affiliated with Escom GmbH., 
owner of the Commodore logo and technology, Commodore 
‘World s published 6 times annually by Creative Micro Designs, 
Inc., 18 Benton Drive, East Longmeadow MA 01028-0646. 
‘Socond-Cinss Postage Paid at East Longmeadow MA. Annual 
‘subscription rate is US$29.95 for U.S, addressos, US$35.95 
for Canada or Mexico, US$45.95 for all EC Countries, and 
US$57.95 10 all other addresses worldwide. All subscription 
payments must be provided in U.S. Dollars. Mail subscriptions. 
to CW Subscriptions, c/o Creative Micto Designs. Inc., P.O. 
Box 646, East Longmeadow MA 01028-0646 


by Creative Micro 
Dosigna, In noted, No part of this 
publication may be printed or otherwise reproduced by any 
‘means without prior written consent from the publisher. All 
programs publishod in this publication are for the personal uso 
of the render, and may not be copied or in any way distributed. 
Allrights reserved, Programming examplos and routines in this 
Issue which are presented tor educational purposes may be 
used in the creation of programs by the purchaser of this of this 
magazine, provided credit for the routines is clearly presented 
in either the program documentation, of the program itself. 
Creative Micro Designs, Inc.. assumes no responsibility for 
‘rr0r8 of omissions in editorial, program listings or advertising 
content. Croative Micro Designs, Inc. assumes no liability for 
advortisors claims or reliability, 


POSTMASTER; Sond address changos to: CW Address 
Changes, c/o Creative Micro Designs, Inc., P.O, Box 646, East 
Longmeadow MA 01028-0646. 


+ JANUARY 1996 


Features 
14 A Simic Guide To HTML by Jason Compton and Katherine Nelson 
Part | of a series on learning to program in HTML, 
17) THe Mensch CONNECTION by Jim Brain 
Meet the man behind CPU technology. 


20 Tre Super Processor by Jim Brain 


Comparing the features of the 65816 with the 6510. 
24 A Sneak Preview oF THE SupeRCPU by Mark Fellows and Doug Cotton 


Find out what all the buzz is about. 


37° Masterinc tHe Don’t-Do-It Key by Jim Butterfield 


A quick take on the key no user should be without. 


Reviews 


30) GAMES by Sherri Freedline 
Alcon and Demon Stalkers: Raid on Doomfare. 


32 The CMD FD-2000 by Jim Brain 


Taking the FD for a test drive... 


36 Booxware by Gaelyne R. Moranec 
Reviewing three guides to the Internet. 


Covcumns 
10 Just For Starters by Steve Vander Ark 
Device nunbers and printing Commodore graphics. 
12 ForeiGn ExcHANGE by Gaelyne R. Moranec 
Commodore computing in the land Down Under! 
38 Grapttic INTERPRETATION by Steve Vander Ark 
Part 3 of a series on programming in geoBASIC, 
40 The Sysop’s Corner by Max Cottrel 
Did you ever want to start your own BBS? 
42 Carrier Detect by Gaelyne R. Moranec 
Downloading “shrink-wrapped” files from the web. 
46 GeoProcranist by Gene Barker 
DolnlineRetum. 
48 Basic INSTINCTS by Gene Barker 
Null characters and you. 
SO Peripterat VISION by Jim Butterfield 
Null characters and you, 
52 AssemBty LINE by Jim Butterfield 
Using processor registers and debugging tips, 


DeraRTMeENTS 
2 From tHe Epitor 
4 Backtauk 


6 Commopore Trivia 
& On Tue Horizon 
56 Cuassirieo Aps 

56 Aoverriser’s INpex 


Utility 
On Page 54 


See Our 
CHK-LIST 


From Tne Epiror 


ime to change all the calendars, reflect 
briefly on the year gone by, then turn to our 
minds to ringing in the new year with a bang. 
And, of course, that means it’s time for me to extend 


our best wishes fora happy new year to all our readers, 
othe success it was 
for us here at Commodore World and Creative Micro 
Designs, Inc. And now that the amenities are out ofthe 
way, let's cover the ‘old business’. 

At the close of last year (seems so long ago now, 
doesn'tit?) [found myselfona small Canada Airflight 
from Hartford to Toronto. The mission: to attend the 
first World of Amigs 
of Commodore. 


and to thank youall for making 1 


show to be held since the demise 


his year's sponsor was none other 
than Wonder Computers, a Ca 


Jian firm with avery 
strong commitment to the Amiga and the Amiga 
market. 

What struck me most about this show was not the 
kind of thing that would have piqued my interests at 
similar shows years before: things were still pretty 
much the same. Oh, there were new faces, and a lot of 
the old faces were missing; but the atmosphere and 
general aura created were—similar. 


his bodes well 
for Amiga Technologies, the new wing of ESCOM that 
is working to put Amiga computers back into peoples 
mindsand homes. The Ami; 
at least—wi 
whatever dealers had to offe 


acommunity—in Canada, 


nd re; 


receptive to the show, 
And this bodes well for 
vendor support as well; seeing a willing market is 
bound to convince a few vendors to stay on-board. 
Now, not everything at the show had the big “A” on 
the front panel. Inoticed some of our old friends at the 


to buy 


IPUG booth were playing around with a C-65, and I 
also ran into a couple of the CW advertisers at the 
Jason Compton and Katie Nelson were there, 


ome of you have seen Jason's previous work here 


show 


100; 
orin hisown Amiga Report. Jason and Katieare starting 
a series on HTML in this very issue! 

Another CW author joined me at the show to make 
the rounds; Jim Butterfield. It's amazing how many 
people Jim can draw to himself. This can be a true 


fyou're with Jim ata show, since the booths 
are often crowded—getting close to a booth that had 


COMMODORE WORLD 2 


something! wanted to see and saying, “Hey, there's Ji 
Butterfield!” was generally enough toclear some space. 
Lalso had a rather interesting chat with Matthew 


Desmond, whoapparently had hoped to run into some 
8-bit folks at the show. Matt was rather pleased to see 
the results of the CPS tests results we published in CW 
Issue #4, and could probably be heard for quite some 
distance as he chanted, “I won! 1 won!” While Matt 
probably didn’t think of it at the time, whenever he 
wins, so do we all. 


In all, it was an interesting show, and I was pleased 
to see a good turnout there. 

Now, lets move ahead to this year. Natural 
has been alot of e; 
ofthe SuperCPU. In the issue you now hold, you'll find 
an update on this project (in On The Horizon), and a 
‘sneak preview’ of the product itself (pg. 23), You can 
also find out more about the microprocessor at the 
heart of this product in The Super Processor (pg. 20), 
ates to the 6510 in The 


y, there 
itement over the upcoming release 


and get a glimpse at how it re 
Mensch Connection (pg. 17) 

My guess is that, after reading this issue, many of 
you will beanticipating what's to come in thisnew 
‘e here at CW and CMD! 


as much as we a 


eae 


Cotton 


Editor 


Issue 12 


LOADSTAR SOFTWARE VALUES! 


The Compleat* Series 
The Compleat PRINT SHOP I: (the print Shop by Broderbund or 


Printmastor roquired). Over 1300 artistic and novor before published PRINT SHOP images, 

Tho smart, fast software packago included allows you to 

quickly scan through the many PRINT SHOP images 

Soquontially, by name, or by group number. Press a key and 

save the graphic you want in 2-block, 3-block and even 

PRINTMASTER graphic fies! Al that psa pind guide to 

your new sea of graphic files. And it you like the first 

Volume, you'll probably want to get your hands on The 

Compleat PRINT SHOP II, which also contains over 1300 

PRINT SHOP images, previously published on LOADSTAR, 

issues over tho past ton years, Included is the same smart, 
software package Included in Tho Compleat PRINT (smmstikiist=tlis inet 
P 1, Each volume is $20.00, 


The Compleat Programmer: Bocomo the Commodore programmer 
Youivo always wand 1 be! Magis af knowledge crammed and sll ono eight 8.25- 
hich disks of two 1581 disks! Pius wo include all the tools, extansion, langungos, assombla 
tutorials and utilities: ‘eel need to create the same type of software you see on LOADSTAR! 
This massive gotecton ie way over wo megabytes ef inuctona! tx! and valuabo tool 
$20.00. For $5 more, get = Hacking MAG, not available separately, to complete your 
programming set 


The Compleat Maurice: a compiiation of 26 solitaire card games written by 
Maurico Jones, the acknowledged master of card gama simulations for tho C-64/128. Tharo's 
‘von a brand new. naver botoro published game callad Boomerang. Two 5.25 inch disks oF 
‘ona 315 Inch disk, $20.00 postage pad! 


The Compleat Dave: two 1581 disks or threo 1541 disks crammod with SID 
musi¢, Over 250 classic melodies trom yesteryear, arranged and transcribod by tho Mastor of 
‘Music, Davo Marquis, and now they're availablo in one aigante B-hour collection, I you enjoy 
SID music, you owe ito yourself fo got THE COMPLEAT DAVE, Two 1501 disks or three 
1541 disks $20,00 postage paid! 


The Compleat Walt: ten yoars of Walt Harned's 
slidoohows and multimedia events gathered Into one huge collection 
Seven §.25-inch disks or three 38 inch disks! Over 250 pictures, 
ineluding soma that havo nover boon pubishad. The groatost ono: 
man collection of art on any computer platform! $20.00 postage pat 


The Compleat Roger: 2s eaveational quiz programs, 
‘ach carotully crattod by Roger Norton, an educator who uses C64, Thos programs come 
rammed on two 5.25:inch 1841 disks or ono 1881 dak. $20.00 postago paid! 


* No, we didn’t misspell “complete.” Compleat is the ten dollar spelling of complete, 


Other Products 


Geopower Tools. 19 Geos utities: Calendar Printer, Fast Format, Goo Fetch (gray 
any portion of a scroan as a Photo Serap), Phoonix (resurrect a trasheanned fil), Prograrmmor's 
Calculator aro justa few of the handy Tools, Sido Two Is ilod with Clip Art (In Photo Album format) 
and fonts, $0.95 (C-68/128) Item #oRose5 


Songsmith - coaostar's own music-making program. With this deluxe music 
editor/playor you can easily transcribe music from sheet music of make up yout own tunes. 
Songsmith comes with a slick a0-page manual and a jukebox player wih eight tunes. $9.95, 


Game Star #1 eight games trom LOADSTAR #70:#100), The Tenomont, Stack ‘Em, The 
Sherwood Open, Gems, Stealth Bomber, Eagle Eyes, Moonraker & Circuitry, $9.95 


Just For Fun. eight origina gamos, Thore are arcade games, educational gamos, 
puzzle games and just games that are just plain fun on this disk, $9.95. 


Fun Four - Four original gamos. A huge maze gama, trivia game, solitaire and a space 
shoot 'em up ~ all runnablo from a menu, $9.95 


Sport -in tho early days of science, "sport" meant “mutant. This is a full novel on C-64 disk 

by author, Jott Jonos, about a murderous neo-human Over 500 terrifying pages. Automatic 

ars presentation software included. Printing capability. Bookmarks. Warning! This is 

x“ alt ‘eal novel with strong content, frank language, violence and adult situations. If 

ho hard-iting acton of roa cr-t/horrar novels turns yout stomach, pleaso 

don't buy this book Must be 18, 1 CMD MD disk , 2:3.5-Inch disks or 39 254inch Wisk. $5.95 
$1.00 Shipping. 


Brainpower/Brainstorm - so.column word processor and idoa processor tor tho 
G-128, Thoso two programs aro togethor on ono disk. It comes with a dotailod 82.pago manual. 
$9.95 (G-128 only) ham #069424 


Best Of Loadstar Compilations: oapstar is over 11 yoars young! We 

have 5 anthology disks that take you through the evolution of LOADSTAR, from humble 

beginnings to the well-oiled machine we've became. Il you want to Nop on a time machine and go 

back. start with The Best Of LOADSTAR #5 and move your way back to The Best 8 

LOADSTAR #1, Each of the 136 back Issues are available for purchase with discounts on li 

{or fr you ecocors out thao, Bos OF LOADSTAR dks are avalablo on 526:nchcaks ony. 
"68 disk 60.05 


Master Base - patapaso of users’ groups tor the 80-column 6-128, This Is a fast, 
Bowotul dtabase program for handing adaross0s and naling labels (includes barcode printing) 
he disk also has a file of over 600 users’ groups addresses, st 95 (C128 only) 


LOADSTAR is a monthly "magazine on disk" for the Commodore 64/128, Subscribers receive two 1541 disks (or one 1581 disk) in their mailbox every 


month filled with news, articles and programs. Th 


non-PD, high-quality programs are written by the best home-based programmers in the field and edited by 


the crack LOADSTAR team of Fender Tucker and Jeff Jones. Subscription prices are at an all-time low of $69.95 for a 12-month subscription, or $19.95 for a 
three-month subscription. You may also elect to subscribe "by the month," where we charge your credit card $7.95 for each issue after it's shipped. 


Loadstar Products Order form 1-800-594-3370 


Quantity Description 


3-month LOADSTAR subscription $19.95 na 
1-year subscription to LOADSTAR $69.95 na 
Month to month @$7,95 7.95/mo na 
Compleat Print Shop Lon 5,25-inch $20.00 QO09DS. 
Compleat Print Shop Lon 3.5-inch $20.00 0001D3. 
Compleat Print Shop Il on 5.25-inch $20.00 0010D5 
Compleat Print Shop II on 3.5-inch $20.00 0002D3 
Compleat Programmer on 5.25-inch $20.00 0005D5 
Compleat Programmer on 35-inch $20.00 0005D3 
Hacking mag 3.5-inch only $5.00 0006D3 
Compleat rice 5.25-inch $20,00 0007D5. 
Compleat Maurice 3.5-inch $20.00 0007D3 
Compleat Dave 5.25-inch $20,00 070525 
Compleat Dave 3.5-inch $20,00 070523 
Compleat Walt 5.25-inch $20.00 070425 
Compleat Walt 3.5-inch $20.00 070423 
Compleat Roger 5.25-inch $20.00 0004D5. 
Compleat Roger 3 0004D3 
Geopower Tools. 080525 
_Game Star #1 080825 
| Just For (73525 
___Fun Four 073525 
Sport 5.25-inch 070325 
Sport 3,.5-inch 070323 
Sport CMD High Density 070327 


TOTAL FROM THIS COLUMN 


January 1996 


Price Item# Total Qty Description 
TOTAL FROM LEFT COLUMN; 


| __Best Of LOADSTAR #2 


Price _Item# Total 
$9.95 
$9.95 
$0.95 
$9.95 
$9.95 
$9.95, 


Songsmith 
Best OF LOADSTAR #5 
Best Of LOADSTAR #4 

Best Of LOADSTAR #3 


(69525) 
049525) 
049425] 
049325) 
049225) 
049125) 
081025 


Best Of LOADS’ 
Masterbase 


suthori ‘ign 


cribers: I pref sh diskette: 


3 COMMODORE WORLD 


@ACKTALK 


LETTERS AND QUESTIONS FROM OUR READERS 


Dear CW, 

Thi dressed to T. J. Moylesin regard tohis 
question in the last issue, 

The protection scheme Cosmi uses is "cute", 
not devious. How they accomplish it is not that 
important. Here is how to make a bootable copy: 


1, Takea5 1/4" blank disk, and notch it so that 

you can write on both sides of the disk. 

Format each side as a 1541 disk (i.e, 664 

blocks free on each side.) 

«up Maverick 5.0, select single or dual 
drives (which ever you have) and when you 
gettothemain menu, sele RNYBBLER. 

. When loaded, put side A of Swiftsheet 128 
in the drive and copy to side A of backup 
disk. 

. When completed, flip to side B of Swiftsheet 

128, place in drive, and copy to side B of 

backup disk. 

Runa directory on both sides of the backup 

to insure they are identical to Swiftsheet 

128. 


S 


> 


= 


VIOLA! You now have a bootable copy! Just 
autoboot it like you do the original. Enjoy. 
About other 80 column spreadsheets, | like 
SwiftCalc 128, PocketPlanner 128, and ifyou are 
into GEOS, GeoCale 128 is no slouch either. If 
you like to graph and chart data, GeoChart i 
must to go with it. All of these programs are still 
available through Software International Ine. the 
time I checked. 
Best regards, 
Robert J.C 


‘berry 


I'd like to voice our appreciation to Mr. Carberry and 
a number of other readers who responded to Mr. 
‘Moyles’ questions. Since Mr. Carberry's response 
was the mast complete of those we received, it was the 
one we decided to publish. However, we will pass 
along copies of all of the responses to Mr. Moyles for 
his perusal, 


Dear CW, 

Thave a CMD 500 MB HD that I wish to u 
an external drive on my Compac 286 
Eggleston, Editor of te UNDERGROU 
kind enough to take a shot at it, but he had not 
actually done it, and therefore was not able to 


COMMODORE WORLD 


spell out a successful step by step instruction 
which I really need, because I'm not a computer 
wiz. Surely one of your acknowledged wizards 
(Dale Sidebottom, Doug Cotton, Jim Brain, 
Maurice Randall, or Steve Vander Ark, ete.) can 
come to my rescue? Help, help, help! IT have an 
8-bit SCSI card and the cable to mate the HD to 
the card, but I'm nervous about plugging in and 
firing up without divine guidance. I sure don’t 
ant to screw up the HD. lalready havethe CMD, 
85 MB HD running on my C128. | have had it for 
some time now wi 
almost dail Great machine! 

I hope you can help me with my problem. 
Looking forward to hearing from you. 

Best regards, 

Robert J. Carberry 


w 


h no trouble operating on an 


Frankly, hooking it up is simple... getting it to work, 
however, is the iffy part. SCSI, in fact, is about the 
only thing I can think of that’s more finicky than a 
cat. 

Here's what you should be aware of: Your HD 
contains a SCSI controller, which is similar to that 
8-bit card for your ‘other’ computer. So similar, in 
fact, that they probably both have the same SCSI 
address (practically every SCSI controller on the 


planet uses SCSI device 7), This can be a source of 


conflict. 

Also, consider that what the CMD HD controller 
does when you start your system is to begin a search of 
your drive for HD-DOS, Normally this is found right 
‘away, and booting is quick. I[the drive gets formatted 
foranother purpose (which Lassumeis the case here), 
this search can take a minuete or so on the larger 
drives. 
Now, there’s a fairly simple way around these two 
problems, but I think most users will find it 
cumbersome, The trick is to turn on the drive while 
holding down both the SWAP buttons on the front 
panel, This causes the drive to come up in INSTALL 
mode, where it will generally ignore other controllers 
and skip the search for a DOS. 

The best solution, however, is to get yourself a new 
cable for inside the drive, Currently you have two 
cables inside your drive—one goes from the drive 
mechanism to the controller, and the other goes from 
the controller to the D, connector on the rear 
panel. If you can get yourself a new cable that goes 
directly from thedrive (50-pinSCStheaderconnector) 
to the rear panel (DB-25 female)—replacing the two 


4 


cables and rear panel connector—you'll have an 
external drive that works like any other, without the 
quirks and hassles, Such cables aren't common fare, 
though, so you may have to try a custom cable house 
such as Cables To Go in Dayton, Ohio (800-225- 
46). 


Dear CW, 

I would like to comment on Maurice Randall's 
disk drive article in Issue 11. | own two 1581 
drives: onemanufactured in Taiwan andthe other 
in Hong Kong. The Taiwanese model freezes up 
with HD disks while the other model does 
have saved Basic, CP/M and GEOS files to HD 
disks and they all work like a charm. 

1 don't know if this matters, but the P/N 
numbers on the bottom of each slightly differ. 
The ‘non-HD" drive reads 255068-03. The ‘HD’ 
drive reads 255068-04, and German wording 
appears on this drive as well. Also, the gray face 
plates differ. Commodore is spelled in lower case 
letterson the‘non-HD' driveandthe Commodore 
symbol appears on the HD’ version with the first 
letter in Commodore capitalized. 

Is it a ‘bootleg’ drive? Could I have stumbled 
onto Commodore's missing link? My opinion is 
that computers and peripheral devices will not 


perform certain functions unless they are 
programmed to do so in the first place. 

‘Thanks for a great magazine and for keeping 
the faith! 

Sincerely, 

Kevin A. Komonyi 


Itwasn'tuncommon for Commodore to manufacture 
products in more than one place, and I don't suspect 
you have a ‘clone’ 1581. The reason that HD disks 
workononeand not theotheris moredue to differences 
inthetwomechanisms—HD disks requirea stronger 
magnetic signal, and many DD (Double Density) 
drives simply won't have the ability to write to HD 
disks, 


Commodore World reserves the right to edit 
letters published in this column for length, 


spelling, and clarity. If you have questions 
or comments, write to: CW Backtalk, c/o 
Creative Micro Designs, Inc., P.O. Box 646, 
East Longmeadow MA 01028. 


Issue 12 


PERFECT TAX’ 


¢ THIRTEENTH SUCCESSFUL YEAR! * MANY THOUSANDS ALREADY IN USE! 
¢ Your Simple Answer to the TAX Reform Acts of 1986 through 1994 


Stores data files on disk for quick recall 

Yearly upgrades available to registered users 

Fully screen-prompted, menu-driven and easy-to-use 
Includes helpful tutorial example and forms library 
Built-in calculator accumulates input and enters totals 
Instant recalculation of your entire return when you 
change any item with just a single keystroke 

Prints directly onto IRS forms and Schedules or to 
blank computer paper for use with transparent overlays 
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Schedules: A, B, C, D, E, SE, 1, 2,3 and EIC-A 
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January 1996 5 


COMMODORE WORLD 


ComMMopDoRE TRIVIA 


dy Jim Brain 


Welcome to another edition of Commodore 
Trivia. As many of you r 
questions and answers have been donated by me 
to the Commodore communit 
other 
questionshave been placedin the publicdomain, 
Task only that the trivia questions remain intact 
and unchanged, and that my name and address 


SOA0, 


SOAL 


S$OA2 


S0A3 


SOA4 


SOAS, 


SOA6 


SOA7 


$090 


$091 


$092 


$093 


$094 


know, these trivia — tri 


at large. Unlike 
Vorld, these trivia 


articles in Commodore 


where the tri 


Enjoy. 


appear somewhere so users can contact me. The 
Iso used fora contest I run onthe Internet; 
contact me at the included address for more 
information, Because curiosit 
me, lalways welcomea note or post 
a goes, | also welcome new 
questions—provided they come with theanswers, 


Jim Brain 
Brain Innovations, Inc. 


as the best of 


arddetailing 602 North Lemen 


Fenton, MI 48430 
brain @mail.msen.com 


COMMODORE TRIVIA #11 QUESTIONS 


In the mid 1980's, Commodore introduced RAM Expansion Units for the 
Commodore 64, 64C, 128, and 128D. There were three of them, Give their 
model numbers, and what was different among them. 


Some of the CIA integrated circuits used on the C64 
have a hardware defect. What is the result of this defe 
occur? (May be more than one, but I need only one.) 


nd C128 computers 
nd when does it 


Name the Commodore machine(s) on whieh a Intel 8088 wasan OPTIONAL 
coprocessor, (Hint, not the IBM clones.) 


On Commodore computers beside the Plus/4 series, there are three 
frequencies used to record the data on the tape. Name the frequencies used, 


Commodore Plus/4 series computers can not read any cassettes recorded on 
other Commodore computers. Why? (Hint: It has nothing to do with the 
nonstandard connector on the Plus/4.) 


During power-up, the Commodore 64 checks to seeifit runningin PAL-4and 
or NTSC-land, How does it determine its location? 


What is the 6 


XX ML opcode for BRK? 


SOAS 


SOA9 


SOAA 


SOAB 
SOAC 


SOAD InCommodore BASIC, whatis the abbreviated form ofthe 


SOAE 


SOAK 


On the 65XX CPU, what gets pushed onto the stack when an interrupt 
occurs? 

COMMODORE TRIVIA 
The65XX series of processors was modeled after the Motorola 6800, Motorola 


hampered the design groups’ efforts to pursue product developments using 
the 6800, A core group of 8 designers left Motorola and went to MOS 
Technologies, which was the largest producer of calculator chipsat the time. 
MOS decided it was time to go into the CPU business, 


The older brother to the 6502 was the 6501, The 6501 was pin-compatible 
with the 6800, which promptedasuit by Motorola, Eventually, MOS reached 
an agreement where they scrapped the 6501 marketing, but were free to 
market the 6502. 


151 opcodes are documented in the NMOS 6502 data book. The remaining 
105 opcodes were not implemented, and exist as “don't care” states in the 
opeodematrix, That means that some seemingly invalid opeodeswillactually 
perform of two or more valid opcodes, Newer CPU systems trap all 
hon-implemented opcode usages, but not the 65 


‘The architecture assumes that each opcode has two bytes in it and one byte 
an be fetched per cycle. For instructions that use only 1 byte, the extra 
fetched byte (actually the next opcode) is thrown aw: 


Although this isa subjective answer, one could nominate NOP on the basis 
that NOP is generally believed to waste one execution cycle on a particular 
processor, namely one cycle on the 65XX line, However, one ean argue that 


COMMODORE WORLD 


$09. 
$096 


$097 


$098 9 


$099 


$09A, 


$098 


Speaking of the stack, where is the stack located in the 65XX address map? 


On the 65XX CPU line, it is possible to set and clear a number of processor 
status flags, Examples include SEC and CLC to set and clear the carry flag. 
What flag has a clear opcode, but no set opcode? 


When saving a text file to tape, the computer records 192 bytes of data, an 
inter-record gap, and then the same 192 bytes of data again. How wide is this 
inter-record gap, and why is it there? 


On an unexpanded VIC-20, where does the screen memory start? 


InCommodore BASIC, whatis theabbreviated form ofthe"Load” command? 


command? 


On the Commodore 64, there is section of 4 kilobytes of RAM that cannot be 
used for BASIC programs. It is the favorite hiding places for many ML 
programs, however. What is its address in memory? 


What is stored at locations $A004-$A00B, and why is it strange? 


#10 ANSWERS 


NOP simply means no operation, and has no ties to length ofexecution. You 
be the judge. 

All other instructions must take at least two cycles: one for opcode fetch, 
one for operation, 


Asstated above, it was calculator chips. 


Rockwell, MOS Technologies, and Synertek. 


1.022727143 MHz. It is derived by taking the main clock frequency 
(14.31818MHz) and diving it by 14, 


a snddivdingitby 18 ThusthePALG4 
than the NTSC one, 


tuallycupenloneee 


Datais latehed in to the 6: 
diagram in some books (64 PRG 


he falling edge of Phi0 (Phil). The timing 
s one) is incorrect, 


‘The 75XX line used in the 264 series (Plus/4 and C16) 
used in the C64C and C128 series. 


cl the 85XX series 


Theansweris location $f410mod 251 


answerinvolvesexplaining 
a (mis)features of the NMOS 


above code instructs the 


Issue 12 


65XX CPU to use zero-page addressing mode to load the accumulator. In 
zero-page addressing, the address need only be one byte wide (Sff in this 
case), because the high byte is considered to be $00. Now, as humans, we 
would expect the CPU would add 10 to 255 ($f), giving 265 ($109) as the 
address to load the accumulator from. However, the CPU designers decided 
that zero-page addressing means that the high byte will be $00 all the time, 
noexceptions. Ifasituation like theabove occurs, the low byte ofthe addition 
will be used as the low byte of the address (9 in t nse), but the high-byte 

RO, All zero page addressing modes work this way. Note that the 
CMOS versions of the 6502 do perform the high byte “fix-up”, so this 
behavior is only seen on the NMOS parts, 


$09C_ This was a trick, The code is trying to use INDIRECT INDEXED indexing 
mode using the x register, but that addressing mode can only be used with 
the y register. Ifthe code is changed to the following, legal code: 


Looking for a Commodore user group in your area? User groups can help you 
solve problems, keep you informed of new products and events that might be of 
interest, and give you a chance to share your computing experiences with others 
who enjoy Commodore computing, The listings below include: Name, Address, 


Sook 


SO9F 


Idx #10 
Ida (SM),y 


‘Then, the above discussion for zero-page addressing holds true here as 
well. The effective address would have been (hi:lo) $100:S0ff, but is 
instead (hislo) $000:SOff. The simple rule is: zero page means exactly that. 
Thereisnoway toaddress outside of zero-page with zero-page address 


Sflle, The address formed by reading ${fd and $fife is stuffed into the IP, 
and the code is read starting there, $fi¥e is read first, since the 65XX line 
stores addresses in low byte, high byte format, 


Bill Mensch, He hand-designed these newer parts in the 65XX line in the 
same manner he and Chuck Peddle and others hand-designed the 6501 
and 6502, 


Meeting dates, Number of members, Contact person, and Phone. 


ARIZONA 
Busy-Bee User Group 3 
Paseo Cuacha de Toro 
Arivaca, AZ 85601 


CALIFORNIA 
Club 64 

PO Box 514 

Patton, CA 92369 


Commodore Technical User's Group 
2231 E. Trenton Ave. 
Orange, CA 92667-4451 


FLORIDA 
Naples Area C.U.G. 
10701 Rogers Lane 
Bonita Springs, FL 33923 


Stuart Area Commodore 
P.O, Box 1446 
Port Salerno, FL 33492 


ILLINOIS 

East Side Computer Club 
P.O, Box 1347 

Alton, IL 62002 


S.W.R.A.P. User's Group 


PO Box 528232 
Chicago, IL 60652-8232 


January 1996 


NEVADA 

Clark County Commodore 
Computer Club 

P.O. Box 28136 

Las Vegas, NV 89102 


OHIO 

Ashtabula County Commodore 
User's Group 

c/o 1527 Elmwood Dr. 
Ashtabula, OH 44004 


OREGON 

Amiga Commodore Users Group 
623 29th St. 

Astoria, OR 97103. 


WASHINGTON 
Spokane Commodore User's Group 
PO Box 474 

Mead, WA 99021 


CANADA 
Hamilton Commodore Users Group 
35-1400 Limeridge Rd. 
East Hamilton, Ontario 


Attention 
User Groups! 


Please send us your group’s 
name, contact person and 
phone number, when you meet, 
number of users, and an 
address where users can 
contact you to: 


CW UG Connection 
c/o Creative Micro Designs 
P.O. Box 646 


East Longmeadow, MA 01028-0646 


COMMODORE WORLD 


BN THEI 


COMMODORE AND COmMPpUTER INDUSTRY NEws 


EZ Loader Menu Program Updated to Version 3.10 
EZ Loader, by David Schmoll, isa menu system designed to help you access 
your most used programs by a single menu from any disk drive, as long as 
the program is on the drive requested. Although the program concept was 
written to help CMD Driveusers, EZ Loader works just fineon Commodore 
disk drives and, once set up, can be used asa menu for each disk. EZ Loader 
operates in all modes; 64 and 128, 40 or 80 column, as well as slow or fast 
mode. BZ loader can call a 64 program from the 128 side menu and drop 
into 64 mode to execute it supports the TOD clock, and allows 
you to preset program execution times, so programs can run automatically 
from the menu, 

This new version is mainly bug fixes and tweaks, but the known bugs 
were serious enough to justify the release. The only real new features are: 


Loadei 


+ the full 128 keyboard is now 
* 128users 
the ALT 


ve in 64 mode 
drop to 64 mode without leaving E 


ader by pressing 


Registration notes: Due to requests usersthatsomeindicationandadvantage 
be given to those users who register this program, certain features in the 
evaluation copy have been disabled. Disabled features include the mouse, 
clock and date display (assuming an RTC (Real-Time Clock) is present), 
loading of saved data files, multiple sereen access, sereen blanking, entry 


exchange option, and timed event support, andauto booting of the first file. 
These options can beenabled once the registration hasbeen completed and 
you receive and enter the proper codes that I will need to send you. 

EZ Loader is available online from a number of Commodore Support 
boards. It can be freq’ed or downloaded from: The Silver Hammer BBS 
(303)766-8035 (Kido-1:104/518). Itbis»also_ available for ETP:from: 
cenga.uwaterloo,ca, Archive name is ezldra-1 stk, 


Internet Book for Commodore Users Coming Soon 
‘Thelnternet isa big placeandit'snotalways easy to find outallthein’sand 
out’sabouttakingadvantage ofits features when checkingit outforthe first 
time. There's a lot of Commodore specific information available on the 
Internet, but you have to know how to get to the information, and that can 
bea catch-22; 

How dol get on the Internet? What term programs can Luse? What the 
heck is FTP? Can I browse the World Wide Web with my C-64? 

Gaelyne Moranec, the former editor of CEE-64 Alivel, has been writing 
about Commodore computersandmodeming forthreeyears with columns 
in Commodore World and BBS Magazine. After answering countless 
letters helping others learn the ropes of using the Internet, Gaelyne has 
announced that she's working on a book for Commodore users who want 
to take advantage of the Internet. The Internet For Commodore Users has a 
tentative release date of March 31, 1996 and will be packaged with Nick, 
Rossi's Novaterm 9.5 (shareware) term program. 


COMMODORE WORLD 


The first half of the book discusses Commodore software and hardware 
needed, setting up a term program, hooking a modem up to the computer, 
and finding an Internet provider. The second half of the book covers the 
basics of using the features ofthe Internet, such as E-mail, FTP’ing, browsing 
the World Wide Web, dealing with Unix commands and other subjects, all 
from the point of view of a dichard Commodore user. 

The Internet For Commodore Users is expected to retail for US$24.95. 
Distributors have not yet been announced. 


‘ax Software Update Announced 
Maurice Randall has recently announced that geoFAX V2.0 is due to be 
released in about 6 weeks. Versions 1.5 and 1.6 are not considered to be 
completed versions, and V2.0 will be sent free-of-charge to all registered 
users of these versions when it becomes available. For those that are 
FAX prior to the release of V2.0, you will also get 
V2.0 for free when it begins shipping. 

‘The V2.0 disk will include the remaining printer drivers (several ofthose 
announced were not ready for the current release), and a few of the existing 
ones will have improvements. Both Class 2 and Class 2.0 fax modems will 
be supported, and modem control during the handshaking period will also 
be improved over previous versions, The new version also sports an 


considering buyi 


improved interf 
nges become your default setting the next time you run the program), 

Other additions include an icon for choosing between tone and pulse 
dialing, a telephone directory, and a log file that de: 
(this can be viewed in geoWrite). 


e, and remembers changes such as the baud rate (such 


cha 


ribes your fa: 


The most drastic changes are what you see on the screen. The simulated 
fax machine display has beenimproved;and the dialogue boxes that pop- 
up haye taken on a more graphical look. 


Final Press Release from dieHard 

On September 22,1995 LynnCarthy Industries, Incorporated, publishers 
of dieHard, the Flyer for commodore bitters and The Sewing Raom closed its 
doors. 

‘Theremainder ofthe Hyersubscriptions were to be fulfilled by Electronics 
Notv, howeverit took fourmonthsto geveverything worked out and by then 
Electronics Now felt the list was too‘old. The remainder of the Spinner 
subscriptions will be filled by LOADSTAR. The fulfillment needs for the 
Flyer are so great, that only an ad driven magazine could take it over. 
Commodore magazines are subscription driven, meaning the subscribers 
pay for the publication rather than the advertisers. And because of this, 
neither magazine canoffer refunds, LCI does not exist any more, and 
therefore cannot offer refunds. LOADSTAR isa top notch magazine and is 
a blast to read, I hope you stay with it for many years to come. 

LCI had many problems over the last year, the postal increase, and the 
cost ofpaperskyrocketing, tonamea few. Time was taken offforadditional 


Issue 12 


complications during pregnancy, as well as paternity and maternity leave. 
Butoverall, LCI justgrew too fast. The Sewing Room gotsomany subscribers 
so fast, LCI needed to do more marketing to bring in more capitol to cover 
the increase in costs. Which, in turn, brought in more subscriptions to fill. 
Neither magazine could stay on schedule. LCII staff found they were doing 
everything but publishing. And everyone was stressed out. It was not a 
healthy atmosphere. Certainly nothing like the company that it once w 
So we closed the doors. 

Thisisin no waya reflection on the commodore market. User Groups all 
over the nation are booming as ever. CMD and Parsec now both have store 
fronts. LOADSTAR has become a separate entity from Softdisk. 
(Congratulations all around!) 

I want to thank everyone for staying with us. We really thought dieHard 
would be on a regular schedule and that it would continue. I really have 
enjoyed doing dieHard and will miss it dearly. It makes me sad to say good: 
bye. 

Faretheewell-longlivethelowercase"c" machines! Brian L Crosthwaite 


READY, 
a 


Address Change for Kasara 

We've recently been informed of an addre: 
Microsystems, who still supplies a large number of chips and other parts 
for Commodore users. The new address is: Kasara Microsystems, 705 
Office Park Drive, Hilton Head, SC 29928, Phone: 
(803) 842-5057. 


change for Kasara 


SuperCPU Update from CMD 

During the past few weeks, there have been many changes with respect to 
our SuperCPU project. In our quest to keep users as up-to-date as possible 
on the status of this project, we've put together this informative update, 


SuperCPU 64/10 Cancelled 

Advanced orders for the SuperCPU have been instrumental in helping us 
tr 
orders wehaye received forthe:L0MElxversion of this product, however, 
we cannot justify the extra costs involvedin stocking parts for this version. 
We have therefore decided to eliminate the 64/10, and from this point 
forward we will only accept orders for the 64/20 model: 


SuperCPU) 128) 

‘The most significant announcement is that we have determined that a'¢- 
128 version of theacceleratorwill be released. This decision has been based 
on the overwhelming numberof requests we have received from C-128 
users. Due to this response, we are confident thatsufticient demand for a 
128 version exists, and that we can justify the expense associated with its 
development. 

The specifications of the C-128 version will be virtually identical to its C- 
64 counterpart, and\will support both G-64 and C-128 modes. Naturally, 
the SuperCPU 128 will have additional RAM, ROM and custom logic to 
support these capabilities, 


Co-Development 


In order to accommodate the development of the C-128 version, our 
engineers have had to alter their initial development schedule to allow 


January,1.996. 


‘ack the demand for this product. Due to the extremely low percentage of 


additional time to co-develop portions of the C-128 version, Due to this we 
estimate that an additional six to eight weeks will be required, which will 
push initial deliveries for the C-64 version into April (the C-128 version 
should be available approximately 90 days later). 

‘The main thrust of this co-development is to attempt to utilize the same 
PCboard for both the C-64 and C- sssfulwith this 
approach, we can reduce the overall development cost of the C-128 version 
by amortizing many of the fixed costs associated with the design and 
production over both versions. 

While we may be able to use the same circuit board for both units, the 
chip sets for the two versions will be substantially different, and this may 
prohibit our ability to upgradea 64 version toa 128 version. Inaddition, the 
extra circuitry required to produce the C-128 version may effect the retail 
price of this unit by as much as $100.00. Our goal is to keep the cost of the 
ilable until 
later in the development cycle. Until then, we will not be taking advanced 
orders on the C-128 version, 


8 versions. Ifwearesu 


C-128 version below $300.00, but a firm estimate will notbe 


A Better Product Overall 
With the additional development time we believe that both the C-6 


128 versions will benefit. This time allows us to explore the possibility of 
additional features and capabilities which had previously been scrapped 
due to the tight development schedule, Additional information will be 
released as weare able to confirm the feasibility ofthese additional features. 

Although we're disappointed that ourinitial production schedule forthe 
C-64 version cannot be met, we're excited about the potential this decision 
brings to the Commodore market. By supporting the C-128 pl 
believe that we will see more third party development asawhole, which will 
benefit both C-64 and C. 

In closing, we would like to request that any questions be channelled to 
CMD by mail or E-mail at the addresses listed below. We will not be fielding 
questions about these products by phone until such time as the designs 
have been finalized. 


form, we 


128 users by further strengthening our market. 


Mail Inquiries: 
SuperCPU Inquiries 
c/o Creative Micro Designs, Ine. 
P.O. Box 646, 
st-Longmeadow, MA 01028-0646. 
F-Mail (Internet): 
emd.support@the-spa.com (Technical Info) 
emd:sales@the-spa.com (General Info) 


EaSrRrRRo FF 
CORRECTIONS 


Okay, we blew the correction to Al Anger’s E-mail address in Issue 
11's Error Corrections. The address should have read: 


d014066c @cdfreenet:seflin.lib.fl.us 


Worse yet (if that’s possible), some idiot here (not mentioning any 
names, Doug) apparently forgot to create a legend for the.Disk 
Drive Speed Comparison chart presented on page 16 of Issue 11). 
We've included a similar (corrected) chart in the FD-2000 review 
in this issue. 


Finally, thanks to Jim Brain for quickly reacting to an error we 
made concerning his mail-server info, Jim quickly noticed the 
problem and added a function to the server to resolve the issue. 


COMMODORE,.WORLD 


Just For Starters 


by Stove Vander Arb 


OD 


TIPS ON DEVICE NUMBERS & PRINTING COMMODORE GRAPHICS 


So far in this column, I've talked about a number 
of pieces of equipment which you add onto your 
Commodore computer, You might remember 
that back in one of the early columns, l used 
the term peripheral to refer to any piece of 
hardware you add onto your computer. The 
subject of the first half of this column, then, is 
peripherals, Specifically, I'm going to talk about 
adding a second disk dt 

I've talked about dis! 
before. Histed a few handy 


Ve. 
di 


at some length 
commands for things 
like formatting a disk or getting a directory of 
what's on a disk, At that time, I gave you certain 
parameters for these commands, Those are 
symbols or words which follow the command 
itself to modify or specify what that command 
means. The parameters ofa disk drive command 


usually include a number to tell the command 


which drive it is intended for, There is no 
particular reason, after all, why you have to have 
only one drive 
eventually add at least one drive of some kind 
onto theirsystems, Ina disk drivecommand, you 
have to give a di number in order to direct 
your command to the proper drive, 

The first drive you hook up is given the 
number 8. The reason it isn't number 1 is that 
a printer or even the 
screen of the monitor or television, are also 
assigned numbers automatically, so numbers 
lower than 8 arealready taken. Device numbers 
from 8 on up are set aside for disk drives. Ifyou 
add on a second disk drive, you will want that 
device to be given the number 9, Trouble i 
when you first get that drive, you will most 
likely find that it is already pre-set to number 
8. On top of that, you will quickly discover that 


In fact, most Commodore use! 


other devices, such as 


there isn't even a port a 


COMMODORE WORLD 


ble on the back of 


your computer for a second disk drive! 
Obviously, you will need to know a few tricks 
to getting things set up correctly. 

First ofall, let's get the drives hooked up to the 


computer, As I mentioned, therewon'tbeasecond 


port open on the back of your Commodore, so 
you can't just plug it in there, You will find, 
however, that there are two ports on the back of 
each disk drive itself. You can use those double 
ports to “daisy chain” more than one unit 
together. You do that by plugging the second 
drive into the back of the first one, Your 
Commodore computer knows enough to send 
messages along the cables through the linked 
drives until it gets to the one you specify. Of 
course, then you need to have the right numbers 
set so the message you send knows where tostop. 

Now, let's get the numbers set the way we 
want them, It isn’t hard at all to change the 
number on a drive. Ifyou have a 1571 drive 
particularly easy. Look on the back of the 1571 
and you will see that there are two tiny switches 
set in a rectangular hole near the power cord. 
These are used to assign a number to that 


10 


particular drive. There are four possible settings 
using these switches. (You can flip them either 
up or down using a pen.) Here 
them for various numbers: 


show you set 


left switch right switch device number 
UP UP 8 
DOWN UP 9 
UP DOWN 10 
DOWN DOWN "1 


Unfortunately, the 1541 drive doesn't have those 
handy switches, so you'll have to change the 
number by sending a command to the drive itself’ 
each time you start up your system. Of course, 
this means that you can’t turn ona second drive 
until the first one has been set to a number 
different than 8. Here’s the procedure and the 
command you need to send: 


1)turn on the drive you want to be number 9 
2)type in the following program lines, pressing 
return after each one, of course: 
10 open 15,8,15 
"m-w" chr$(119 
2) chr$(9+32) 


20 print# 15, 
) $(0) 
chr$ (9+64) 
3@ close 15 


chrs 


Once you have this program entered, type: 
run 


This will change the device number of the drive 
you just turned on, making it device 9, 


3)turn on the other drive, which is set to 8 


Issue 12 


If you are always going to have to go through 
this procedure as you start up, you might want 
to consider changing the device number of one 
of your 1541 drives permanently to number 9. 
You can do this by means of a simple procedure 
using only a knife, a Phillips-head screwdriver 
to open the case, and a small bowl. 

I know what you're thinking: Whoa! Open the 
case?! Yes! It’s really not hard at all. And there's 
nothing better for giving other people the 
impression that you area computer expert than 
opening the case of some piece of hardware, 
(This is definitely an operation to be performed 
at the kitchen table, for example, so the rest of 
your family can gape at you in amazement with 
anew-found respect.) Make sure that when you 
get the thing opened up, youlook over the highly 
‘ow, 


complicated stuff inside while saying" 


which component shall | repair this time?” Of 


course, since no one knows what a lot of that 
stuffin there really does (atleast, no oneL know), 
it’s best if you don’t actually touch anything. 

Okay, here’s the procedure, Unplug the drive 
the conyputer, turn the 
drive upside down, and unscrew those four 


from both the powers 


serews that holdit together, Once the screws are 
removed, turn the drive back over and remove 
thetop. There'sametal plate kind-of-thing which 


covers the really interesting bits, so you'll have 


to remove that as well. Stpe one—you're in. 
This is the point where you will very likely 
you work, drop the 


lose a screw or two, so a 
screws into the bowl. Also, make sure you are 
paying very close attention to how everything 
comes apart. Observation is everything in a job 
like this; in a few minutes you'll be needing 
those screws and also needing to know where to 
put them back in, 

As you look over the “innards” of your drive, 
make sure you're facing the front panel and then 
look along the left edge about in the middle. 
You're looking for two “jumpers,” which are 


little metal connections on the circuit board. 
These jumpers will be labeled either “1” and “2” 


or "A" and “B,” depending on which model of 


1541 drive you have, You're going to use your 
knife to cut thosejumpersin one of the following 
patterns: 


DEVICE# JUMPERA/1 JUMPER B/2 
8 don't cut don't cut 
9 cut don't cut 
10 don't cut cut 
"1 cut cut 


Once you've done this, you can put the whole 
thing back together again. Make some off-hand 
remark like “There, that ought to do it!” (for the 


January 1996 


benefit of those you are trying to impress), and 
then mark that 1541 drive with the new number 
so you don't forget. 

I know that may seem a bit daunting, but it’s 
worth it. Two disk drives are so much better 
than one, especially when you use programs 
hactively support two drives. 
Even without GEOS, though, that extra drive 
will definitely come in handy. Copying disks is 
much simpler with two drives. Creating and 
maintaining a library of disks (and we all do 
this; as the disk: umulate and it becomes 
harder and harder to remembe! 
where) becomes a lot simpler with two drives, 
since you can copy files from various disks onto 
archive disks by categories. Many programs can 
be loaded from either disk drive, too, and some 
let you write data to a second drive. All in all, a 


suchas GEOSw! 


what you put 


second disk drive can be a very handy addition 


to your Commodore computer. 


Back to BASIC 

We'vebeenloopingalotlately. We've been talking 
about IF... THEN commands and GOTOs. Those 
are very powerful concepts; I dare say that not a 


program exists that doesn’t use some form of 


looping. But thistimearound, Ithought wemight 
wander in another direction altogether. Let's 
createa screen display. We can use such a display 
for the beginning ofa program, for example, orto 
dress up a simple menu. Commodore's built-in 
BASIC language makes this kind of work very 
easy anda lot of fun, too. Essentially, we'll just use 
the PRINT command to place various lines, 
spaces, characters, and shapes on the sereen, 
With a little patience, we can design quite a nice 
display and even draw pictures. 

The vi 


the ones. 


ious shapes we'll be using 
you see printed on the keyboard, We'll place 
themin our PRINT statements and when we run 
the program, they'll be zapped up on the screen, 
one line at a time. Before we start, though, let's 
clear the whole screen so we can work, Press and 
hold the shift key while you press the button on 
top row marked CLR/HOME. Your screen will 
and the little blinking cursor will move to 
¢ that 
screen clear part ofa program by simply placing 
that SHIFT-CLR/HOME combination in a 
PRINT statement. Try it. Type this line 
(substitute the SHIFT-CLR/HOME key combo 
where you see (CLEAR/HOME)}) and RUN it: 


cle 


the upper left hand corer. You can ma 


19 print "(Cc 


You'll heart shape on the screen where you 
typed that key combination. That symbol is how 
your program shows SHIFT-CLR/HOME in a 


11 


command. When your program runs, that PRINT 
statement will not place anything on the screen; 


in fact, it will remove everything from the screen. 


You can PRINT other handy keypresses in this 
), includingthecursorkeysandkeystochange 
colors of the text that will be printed. 

Oka 
fancy display all set. Yoursereenisclearand you 
are ready to create a masterpiece. There is one 
small hitch, however. PRINT commands place 
things on the screen in thin horizontal lines. It's 
your whole picture will 
ike without a lot of trial and error. Ifyou're 
ding a few fri 


wi 


so now you have the first line of your 


hard to see just wl 
look 
only 
too hard to do. To place a box around some text, 
for example, you just do this: 


toamenu, that won't be 


"(CR 


int DN} (CE 


rem move cu x down 2 


30 print 
CMDR 


" (SPACE}{ 
Y}(SHFT p)" 


Notice how the shift key gives you the character 
on the right while the Commodore key gives you 
the character on the left. 


CMDF 


p){SHFT @)" 
Now RUN this program. See how nifty this looks? 
And see how easy it is to make cool displays? 
Thave created entire screens full of this kind 
of thing before, I've used those graphic 
characters to write large title sereens for games 
that I've written and dressed up many other 
programs with a little extra pizzazz 
I did a whole screen, though, | always planned 
it first on graph paper. That way I could copy 
the right things into my PRINT statements to 
make it all come out the 


Whenever 


I wanted. There 
are forty characters across the screen and 24 
in all, Just be careful: you 
cter in the very last spot on 
the screen, the lower right hand corner, or the 
whole thing will automatically shift up on the 
screen one line and your top row will disappea 
‘Try it once and you'll see what L mean, 
Commodore's built-in BASIC isa very capable 
programming language. Neat features like these 
char: 


lines of characte 


can't place a chai 


cter graphics make it possible for even the 
novice programmer to createa very nice-looking 
sereen display. 

€) 


COMMODORE WORLD 


Foreion Exchange 


I'm not what you would consider the “jetset” 
type. I'm a hermitess/homebody who spends 
most of my time using my computer, For the last 
six months, I've been tapping at the keys in 
Reynella, South Australia, about 11,000 miles 


from my US origins. Reynella is a suburb of 


Adelaide, the capital city of South Australia, The 


seasons are the opposite in the southern 


hemisphere, so when you're huddled up to your 
powersupply forwarmth thiswinter, Ubecoping 
with the summer heat here, 

More than a ye ‘0 | decided to visit Rod 
Gasson, the author of QWKRR128, We met 
through the FIDONet Commodore echo, and 
have spent many hours typing mail to each other 
rs. We thought it would be nice (and 
Jess time consuming) to be able to talk with each 
other in person. There were many times I 
thought I'd never make it; that the ticket prices 
would be too high, that I'd chicken out (I HATE 
flying!), or Rod would get “cold feet” and rescind 
his invitation, None of my worst fears were 
founded, though. 


over the 


It takes some planning to move ones: 
Commodore equipment from one hemisphere to 


the other! | had one suitcase filled with some of 


my Commodore equipment while Rod supplied 
the major items: the C128, 1901 color monitor, 
and the power supplies I needed. My own C128 
and monitor were left behind because, in North 
Ameri 


, the computer and monitor are NTSC, 
whileherein “Oz” theyare PAL. The powertorun 
the equipment is also different. In the U.S. it’ 
110v, while here in Australia they use 240v. 


COMMODORE WORLD 


By Gaelyse R. Moranee 


COMPUTING DOWN UNDER 


I didn’t leave any of my other equipment 
behind. [ brought an FD-4000 disk drive, my 
5 meg RAMLink along with its battery backup 
(I didn't even try to see if the battery would 
hold for the trip!), my RAM Expansion Unit, 
14.4K modem, SmartTrack trackball and my 
CMD hard drive, loaded with every file | 
thought I'd want, I also packed the user 
manuals for each device and many of my most 
used reference books. 

While packing my suitcase, I kept having a 
vision of some movie-like Gorilla in the back of 
the airport mauling the luggage. lused reference 
books to create a padding layer in the suitcase, 
then put each device into anti-static plastic bags. 
J used sweaters and other clothes to wrap each 
item, The idea was to pack the suitcases so I 
could fit as much as w: 


afe, and at the same 
time protect the electronic items from the 
luggage mauling gorill 

I left Saginaw, Mi 
Wednesi 


higan around 1:30 on a 
morning, and arrived in Sydney, 
Australia at 6:00 Friday morning. Because | 


crossed the International dateline, Thursday 
never existed for me. I was prepared to have my 
luggage ripped apartin customs, sol had receipts 


12 


for each Commodore item to prove they were for 
my own use. [ found that they weren't very 
interested in my nifty peripherals, But I didn't get 
away that easy; [ still had to deal with the gorill 
With 400 other travelers, I waited and watchedas. 
the luggage came up a conveyer belt and was shot 
3 feet, where it hit 
revolving conveyer, | watched other people's 


id landed on the 


suitcases crash, and upon impact, I sometimes 
got to see what they had brought with them! As 1 
watehed, | kept thinking of my drives and 
RAMLink, wondering if I'd packed them well 
enough to handle the impact. After what felt like 
an eternity, my suitcase finally hit the wall (yes, 1 
cringed). Did they make it? Remarkably, they 
did. I didn’t test things immediately (I had other 
things to do), but within a couple days | was 
reasonably sure most items had made it 
unscathed, 
Iwas metat Sydney's Kingsford Smith Airport 

Mark Dowsett, who authored the 
documentation for QWKRR128, and Darren 
“DaZZa" Gibbs, who is a Commodore user and 
the person responsible for bringing FIDONet 
CBM conference into Australia, Mark is an Air 
‘Traffic Controller and uses his computers and 
modem to relax in his free time, 

One of my first objectives upon arriving was to 


get access to a computer and modem so I could 
send Rod a message to let him know I made it 
through the flight. My first lesson in using the 
phone system here in Oz was that the dial tone 
sounds like a distant phone ringing, waiting for 
someone to answer, only the “ring” doesn’t stop. 


Issue 12 


Also, BBSing here isn’t cheap, as each local call 
costs 25 cents. While it may not seem like much, 
it does add up. 

Once I'd caught up with my mail, Mark gave 
me a tour of Sydney. In three days of walking 
around the city (including a ferry ride to the 
‘Taronga Park Zoo, a walk around the Rocks area, 
watching a play, a tour of the Royal Botanical 
Gardens, and of coursea visit tothe famous oddly 
shaped Opera House) I was exhausted. The 
highlight of my visit in Sydney was visiting the 
new air traffic control tower with Mark, where I 
met another Commodore user. It was quite a 
moment to find myself chatting about my 
Commodore equipment while getting a 
spectacular view of Sydney, with the very latestin 
navigational technology all around us. 

After my weekend in Sydney, I traveled on to 
Adelaide to meet Rod. He repairs VCRs and 
Camcorders from his home, and when not 
repairing video equipment he can be found in 
front of his computer. If he’s not reading mail 
with QWKRR128 or Browser, he's busy adding 
programming touches to these programs. His 
workshop is, politely put, “cluttered”—half of it 
devoted to his business, the other half filled with 


computer related “stuff”. His system includes his 
C128, a 210 MB hard drive, 9 MB RAMLink, 
1581, 15 wiftLink, and a laser printer. 

We visited inventive Commodore user Paul 
Gardner-Stephens, the author of 64Net, to pick 
up the 128 I would be using. Paul's 64Net 
connects up to 4 Commodores to a PC in a 
networking system, and is distributed in the 
by Performance Peripherals. Paul is a 
ar old whiz kid studying Computer 
Science at Flinders University. His computers 
ina shed behind his house, with four 
different computer systemsset upin pairs facing 
each other with cables running between them. 
On the floor, a computer mouse was trying to 
escape it’s connection and managed to evade 
being stepped on. After watching Paul's 
hyperactive fingers type, showing us things on 
each computer, I wouldn't doubt that he uses 
his foot to control that mouse on the floor, 

It took me about a week to get the power 
supplies, computer and accessories all together 
and set up. The size of the power strip/surge 
protectors used gave mea shock due to the large 
and unusual shape of the plugs, but it was good 
to sit down to “ 


ninete 


were 


my” trusty Commodore and 


return to happily being a hermitess and tapping 
away at my keyboard. 

Have I noticed much difference in using my 
Commodore “down under”? Not as much as | 
thought I would. | understand that PAL systems. 


screen line in 80 column mode, 


have an e: 
but I haven't really “noticed” it, My first 
impression was that there was more border on 
all the screens, in both 64 and 128 mode, In 
some ofthe programs use regularly I've noticed 
that the cursor flashes more rapidly, and Rod 
tells me that most programs written in the U.S. 
time don't track it correctly in 
—but it's not something I've found to 
be much ofa problem. 

I've visited two user groups so far 
found them to be very similar to those 
when I lived and computed in the § 
come from all walks of life and ranges of 
computer experience, from the beginners to 
pros. It’s interesting to note that the Guru's 
arily those who run the meetings. | 
also found it fascinating (and comforting) that 
Commodore users, no matter where they are in 
theworld, can start talkingabout our computers 


which 
Australi 


ind have 
attended 
ates; we 


and lose all track of time! Sound familiar? 


€) 


Commodore Chips 
NEW PRICK: NEW 


6526, 6567,6569, 6581, 6522, 8502, 
8562, 8500, 8563, 8564, 8721, 8722, 


314972-03(C128 ROM Upgrade) $24.95 


Motherboards 


Paxtron 


CORPORATION Hours: 9-5 pm EST* 


$5.00 UPS Ch: 


January 1996 


1351 Commodore Mouse 
‘Computer Saver 


325302, 390059, 251968 $8.95 ©, 
901225, 901226, 901227 $6.95 ae mike 
251715, 251913, 8580,W01772 $10.95 (Any CBM Printor to PC) 


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Used Monitors (Low Pricos) 


nd Pa 
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lel Print Cable 


inced Parallel Print Cable Ever! 
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154411 $19.00 1230 CBM Printer(Citizen120) .. $39.95 

ue $19.50 PS1000 Ribbons ( min, 3 boxes) $,00/box 

ces (untested, as is, all chips) Sirs C54 Keyboard base 

-128 .. $49.95 _ C-128 Keyboard (limited Qty.) ... $27.50 

C1280... $52.50 1084S Motherboard (Refurb) ... $69.95 

1700 REU(512K) ard Only... $17.95 1084S Power Supply Board (Refurb) $29.95 

Commodore Diagnostician: Guide to C-64 bl z $14.95 The Most Adva 

ommodore Diagnostician: Guide to non-repairable ... $14 

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CBM C64/128 Dead Test Cartridge C-64 Heavy Duty (5.2 ace) $39.95 Equipped with a female DB-25 

and Manual ..... + $23.50 ? cable connector to allow use of 

C128 Diagnostic Cartridge (C-128 Heavy Duty (5.2 Amps) .. $39.95 standard 'PC’ printer cables. 

and manual . $24.75 175052 amps $39.95 * Switchable Pass-thru 

Manuals: MPS 802 & 1230, 1084, 1902, 154111 external 110 volts $9.95 Allows connection of printer and 

1581, 1526, 1571, 801, C64, C128.Call_ 1581 external 110 volts $9.95 other user port peripherals such 
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‘sr Str54041 for 1802C Monitor... $12.95 salededht ten este EY 


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13 


COMMODORE WORLD 


By Katherine Nelion and Jason Compton of Amiga Report Magazine } 


In today’s society, a new type of social status is arising. The basis of the 
status? Connectivity. Millions of people are connected through traditional 
phones, cellular phones, pagers, fax machines, and of course the newest 
craze: the Internet, Various forms of communication through the Internet 
are available, and more are being created. One of the most popular is the 
World Wide Web, also known as the WWW and simply “the Web.” 

‘The WWW isa way to access information on more topics than you can 
imagineinanattractiveand useful manner. Thisinformationisaccessedby 
a program on your machine if you have a direct internet connection, or by 
a program on your “host” machine (your internet access provider). This 
program, or “browser”, relays the information to you intext form ifyouuse 
a text-based browser such as Lynx. Alternately, Mosaic, Netscape, and 
other graphical browsers allow for viewing in-line graphics, listening to 
sounds, playing movies, and other such “multimedia” experiences. 

The advantages of using such graphical browsers are clear in that they 
allow for more detailed presentations. However, as Commodore 8-bits do 
not currently support the level of connectivity required for a graphical 
browser, using Lynxis your best bet. For maximum compatibility, usingan 
80-column VT-100 compatible terminal is necessary. This will allow Lynx’s 
formatting to display properly. 

Most Web sites use buttons, or “links” to allow you to travel from place 
to place (“page” to “page”), viewing more specific information on a topic, 
or examining a different topic completely, These links are selected in the 
graphic browsers through the use ofa mouse, and by the keyboard in the 
text-based browsers. 

ery page has an address called a URL (Uniform Resource Locator). 
‘This is howa page is accessed for the first timeina browser or through the 
links, These addresses generally start with http:// followed by a directory 
and possibly a filename. Your internet provider will be able to tell you the 
address to use for any documents you eventually create. 

What kind of file could incorporate all of these graphics, sounds, and 
links intoa presentable package? A simple text file written in the HTML 
(HyperText Markup Language) format. The graphic and sound files are 
stored separately, and accessed by the browser when it sees the 
commands, or “tags” (surrounded by ‘<‘ and ‘>’ characters) imbedded 
in the text document. 


COMMODORE WORLD 


14 


Beginners HTML 

Don't be intimidated by the sound of “HyperText Markup Language”. 

The basics are easy to learn and simple to use; no programming 

background fs necessary. Many computer beginners have created their 

own HTML documents, or “home pages.” What does a simple HTML > 

document look like? j 
Note: The “begin” and 

the documents. They are merely the 

and ends, and give its filename, 


s surrounded by dashes are not part of 
where the document begins 


ant xa paragraph is es 
ol. <P>"Ht 


talteegEe 


4 
</BODY> 
</HTML> 


What does this look like in a browser? Well, the title would | 
either as a window title, or somewhere else near the to] 
Within the window or screen, the graphic (above right) would be shown. 
Starting from the beginning, the first tag is <HIMLS Tiss! es 
the browserknow thatthe documentisindeedan HTML document. The 


Issue 12 


Netscape: This Is the title, 


Beeeeseee 


 [htto:77v ww 2net.com/=jeompton/simplepage htrnt 


Hew2 |) Wratiecool?| | Handbook | NetSearcti | NetDirectorul Newsoroupy | 
This is the first header, 


<P> is one of the most often used tags in HTML. Any time a 
new paragraph is to begin, a<P>isnecessary. Theexampleabove 
‘Hem is another pangmeph, wah isabes, bold, and keyboant atyle types, illustrates how browsers ignore spacing, and this is true also of 
return characters, Another way to break a line (not shown) 
without causing a new paragraph is the stand-alone tag <BR>. 
When a browser encounters <BR>, it will immediately go to the 
beginning of the next line before continuing with the current 
paragraph. 

You shouldn't be surprised if some browsers do not actually use 
bold or italics where they are placed above. The tags are actually 
<EM> for EMPHASIS, and <STRONG> for STRONG emphasis. 
The convention is, however, that <EM> isitalic, and <STRONG> is 
bold. Lyny’s ability to display these niceties is limited-but don’t 
worry, the text will still appear, in plain form ifnothing else. 

These tags are enough for a basic document with no links, 
</HTML> likewise shows that the end of the document has been pictures, or other embellishments. However, adding a few pictures gives 
reached. page a personalized touch, and can be extremely useful for providing 

Most tags followsthe <TAG_NAME> ...text... </TAG_NAME> mation. Even ifyour browser does not allow you to view the pictures 
SS with beginnin; nding markers delineating the ar tly, you will be able to download the image for later consideration. 

may be nested, but each inner tag must be CO! 's another more complex example, followed by the image the HTML 
the outer tags. A tag can not hi i le” program creates: 
soc aD the endin ois of * 


‘Ths is apargraph. The epacing of the words dotonk mater et all. The only way for abroveerto know 
that you wart 8 new paregraph iso wwe the <P> symbol 


ITLE>Katie’s Home Page</TITLE></HEAD> 


<BODY> 
e document that doesn’t <P><IMG SRC = “kati.gif” ALT = “[Picture of K 


elf, such as the title. The atie]">q 
<Hl>My name is Katie Nelson, and I like...</H 
14 
<UL>4d 
<li> Gats <IMG SRC = “cat.gif" ALIGN = BOTTOM 


ALT = "(Picture of Cat] ”>q 

<Olip<LI> Grey Cats <LI> Black Cats <LI> Orang 
e Cats </OL>4 

<LI> C64 Computerst 


n size, and <H6> being <Ll> Making Lists] 
sers usually do not show <LI> Reading <A HREF = “http://www.the-spa.co 
1 m/cmd/"> <EM>Commodore World</EM> </A>% 
<LI> Reading 


om/Amiga 
UL>g 
A <A HREF = “simplepage.html*> s 
Pi is good for separating areas 1 iment </A> is also available. 
— is considered to be good form. <HR><P>Katherine Nelson<BR><EM>kati@cup 
Iso note that to-haye the browser actually, displaye<P>jayspecial oka COM</EM>Yors TREE 
character “&lt;” had to be used in place of the “<. Alternately, we could </BODY>4 ene é 


have used “&gt;” in place of the “>” symbol. This is to prevent the </HTML> 
browser from following the instruction, 


January 1996 15 


[2]12) i=) 2l2)8) 2) 


Location: sernpton /katipage html 


Mmnt’s New?| What's Cool? | Handbook | Net Search’ | Net Directory) Newsgroups | 


Inttp :/ www xnet.com/ 


My name is Katie Nelson, and I like 


Netscape: Katie's HomePage BB 


Graphics may be incorporated into the links, by placing 
the <IMG SRC> tag inside the <A HREF> and </A> t 
The picture included in this manner will become part of the 
link, and clicking on the picture will lead to the given 
document. This is useful for creating “icons” to follow 
different links. 


Using the anchor links, one page can lead to many others 
of varying topics. Most people have links to pages about 
their favorite music, books, computer, and other such 
information, 

For particularly long documents, links are also possible 
todifferent places within thesamedocument. Use<A NAME 
= “label”> and </A> to denote the destination of the link, 
and the link areais designated by <A HRI bel”> and 


</A>. Any text can be substituted for “label”, but it must be 
consistent and contained in quotes. Be sure to remember 
the # sign before the label in the link. 


This use of tags, to refer to locations within the same 


atie’s Home Page” in the title) looks like the 
graphic The first new tag is the <IMG SRC = “filename” ALT = 
“text"> tag, Here, “filename” is the name of the picture to be displayed 
(.GIFs and JPEGs are the most common), and “text” is the alternate text to 
be displayed for a text only HTML viewer. Both need to be enclosed in 
quotation marks. In the example with the cat picture, there is also AL! 
= BOTTOM. This is actually the default alignment. The others are AL 
= TOP, where the top of the picture is aligned with the text, and ALIGN 
MIDDLE, where the picture is vertically centered with respect to the text. 

Nextis the <UL>, </UL> set, and the stand-alone <LI> tags. <UL> stands 
for Unordered List, and with its </UL> counterpart, encloses all members 


ofa list. Each member of a list begins with <LI>, as shown above. <OL>, 
Ordered List, and </OL> may be substituted for <UL> and </UL> 
respectively to obtain an ordered, numbered list (<LI> remains the same). 
Each of these two list types may be embedded within another list as shown. 
Notice again how spacing is unimportant within the code. Itis nice to have 
reading the source easier. 


orderly spacing, however, to mi 

Anotherimportant type of tagis the link tag, also known asan “Anchor” 
tag, Text surrounded by the <A HREF = “URL"> and </A> is generally 
highlighted and underlined. Selecting this text will take you to the address 
URL. If the linked document is on another computer, a full address is 
required, However, assuming that a document isin the same directory (as 
with simplepage.html), onlya “partial URL” is required, thatbeing only 
name of the linked document. Generally, on graphical browsers this text 
will appear in a different color and will be underlined, while on Lyn 
will find that the text highlighted in reverse video. 


you 


COMMODORE WORLD 


16 


document, is often used on what are sometimes called “flat” 
hypertext pages. That is, while there are several different 
of interest within a single document, the tags and links provide a 
vay tojump around the document without having toload anew, 
nto memory. 

Now, to actually get your page up and running, check with your internet 
provider. Sometimes, they have a script that executes all necessary 
commands for you. Also, some machines may have different methods of 


settii 


g up a page. On our UNIX internet provider, however, we execute the 


Then, 
outside 
entering the last two commands again. 

If you don’t take our pictures’ word for it, point your browser (more 
lingo!) at this URL — http://www.xnet.com/~jcompton/ and you'll find 
the two sample pages used in this article, as well 
used aterin this article series, Or, if you feel that you're ready to branch out, 
try the CMD home page at URL http://www.msen.com/~brain/guest/ 
emd/ (Or, you can just use the link provided on our example page!) 

The nd instructions listed here should provide you with enough 
material to create a functional home page. Next issue, we'll pick up where 
we left off here with more HTML commands and other useful applicati 
of the Web. 


thing in the public_html directory should be able to be read by 
wers, If you test your site and you get an error message, try 


future examples to be 


Issue 12 


Historical Perspective: 
The Mensch Connection 


By Jim Brain 


WDC founder William Mensch not only 
designed the W65C816S processor, but also 
played a vital role in creating the technology 
at the heart of our favorite computers. 


he Internet is buzzing with the news. 
T Creative Micro Devices is planning to 

introduce a 20 MHzaccelerator cartridge 
for the Commodore 64 and 128 (in 64 mode) in 
early 1996. The topic has generated much 
renewed interest in accelerator cartridges, which 
are special units that purport to speed up the 
operation of programs executing on your 
Commodore machine. Many are wondering how 
compatible the unit will be with GEOS, games, 
and productivity software. Othersare comparing 
the planned unit with earlier designs, including 
the Schnedler 4MHz accelerator, introduced in 
the late 1980's, and the FLASH 8 cartridge, which 
runs at 8 MHz and was introduced just last year. 
Some of these designs used a faster version of the 
6502 (the CPU found in the VIC-20), while others 
used a new CPU, the 65C816, which is a 16-bit 
version of the 6502 that can emulate a 6502. This 
is the chip that CMD plans to use in its product. 
Some of the discussion on the “Net” revolves 
around this latter CPU design. 

All of the speedy CPUs used in these 
accelerators are the product ofa small company 
in Arizona: The Western Design Center, Inc. 
‘That may not surprise you, but the way these 
chips are related to the 65XX CPUs in the 
Commodore computers just might. 

Let'sbegin in the early 1970's, when Motorola 
started work on a CPU based on the Digital 
Equipment Corporation (DEC) PDP-8 
minicomputer system. The designers worked 
diligently to create a one-chip CPU that shared 
similarity with the multiple chip CPU in the 


January 1996 


PDP-8, thought of by 
as DEC's first 
successful 
system. While designing 
the chip, however, DEC 
came out with the very 
successful PDP-11 
minicomputer. The 
designers wanted to 
design a CPU based onthe PDP-11, but Motorola 
Was not ready tocommitto the newer technology 
in the PDP-11. The designers finished the 
original CPU, which became the Motorola 6800 
CPU. Inthe following years, Motorola enhanced 
the basic design and introduced the 6805, the 
6809 (used in the TRS-80 Color Computers and 
4 secondary processor in the Commodore 
SuperPET), and the 68HC11 (found at the heart 
of some American automobile computers). 
Nonetheless, the designers never forgot the 
PDP-11 id 

One of the principal designers of the 6800 was 


many 
computer 


a 


Chuck Peddle, whom many Commodore owne: 
remember as the father of the Commodore PET. 
Another was William D. Mensch, Jr., who is very 
important to this story. 

After the 6800 was completed, the designers 
got a chance to work on their PDP-11 CPU 
derivative design. The engineers left Motorola 


for a small calculator chip manufacturer named 
MOS Technologies. The company embraced the 
idea of this CPU, and Chuck Peddle, Bill Mensch 
and others set to work to realize their idea. By 
1975, the chip was completed. In September of 


17 


William D. Mensch, Jr., chip designer and founder of The 
Western Design Center, Inc. 


Photo courtesy of The Western Design Center, Ine 


1975, MOS introduced the MCS6500 series CPU 
in two forms. One version of the CPU was pin 
compatible with the Motorola 6800 and was 
advertisedasthe MCS6501 for$20.00. The other, 
the MCS6502, didnot share the pin compatibility, 
and was priced higher at $25.00. 

In November, 1975, Motorola filed suit with 
MOS Technologies over the 6501, which begana 
long series of negotiations. Eventually, Motorola 
agreed to drop the suit if MOS would cease 
marketing the 6501. MOS complied, and the 
6502 became the only CPU offered for sale, 

Many Commodore owners know the name 
MOS Technologies as the producer of all of the 
ICs in the Commodore computer sys 
years, Commodore had contracted with MOS 
for calculator chips, which was Commodore's 
big market prior to computers, As the 6502 was 
entering the market, Jack Tramiel of 
Commodore started continually asking for more 
volume on the calculator ICs, forcing MOS to 
add more staff for increased production. Then, 
almost overnight, Commodore told MOS no 
more chips were needed. MOS, over-staffedand 
having just lost a large customer, became 


tems. For 


COMMODORE WORLD 


financially unstable, and Commodore stepped 
in and bought the company for a fraction of its 
worth. In late 1976, MOS Technologies and all 
of its employees became part of Commodore 
Business Machines, 

Now comes the tale of the two engineers. 
Both started working on the new computer 
system to be offered by Commodore, the 
Commodore PET. One engineer, Chuck Peddle, 
decided to stay with the new company and finish 
the machine, while the other, Bill Mensch, saw 


that Commodore had no intention of furthering 
the 6502, and left the company for greener 
pastures. As Commodore owners know, the 
Commodore PET system was the beginning ofa 
long line of successful computers, including the 
VIC, the C64, and the C128. The story should 
end here... or should it? 

In 1978, Jack Tramiel sent word that 
Commodorenceded to re-engin it 
touse the new CMOS fabrication process (earlier 
MOS ICs used the older NMOS process). Bill 
Mensch was asked to come back and work for 
Commodore as a contractor. Jack met with Bill, 
and the two struck a deal, Mensch would star 
business whose sole customer would be 


Commodore. The new business would engineer 
CMOS calculator ICs forCBM, and royalties from 
thesale ofthe chipswould goto Mensch. The deal 
inked in 1978 and the designing began. 

The new company was named The Western 
esign Center, Ine, and was in business solely 
ate CMOS designs for Commodore. While 
the calculator designs were underway, Mensch 
tried to interest Commodore ina CMOS version 
of the 6502. True to their earlier stance, 
Commodore was still not interested in any new 
work on the 6502. However, Bill Mensch was 


w 


D 


toc 


COMMODORE WORLD 


very interested. The project was put 
on hold and the calculator chip 
designs were engineered. As the 
designs for Commodore neared 
completion, WDC acquired facilities 
in Mesa, Arizona, where they remain 
to this day. However, part of the 
payment for the building was 
supposed to come from the royalties 
ofthe chip designs, which didn’tlook 
too promising. No sooner had WDC 
finished the designs for CBM, than 
Toshiba halved the price of its 


The Mensch Computer™ 
= Photo courtesty of The Western Design 
Center, Ine, 


Mr. Mensch established WDC to implement his 
philosophy ofdesign simplicity for high technology 
and to concentrate on design improvements for 
application proven W65C products. That 
philosophy evolved intoaproduct line that includes 
the W65C02S and W65C816S CMOS 
microprocessors, the W65C134S and W65C265S 
CMOS microcomputers, the W65C22S Versatile 
Interface Adpter, and the Mensch Comptuer™, 
(above) a system that encourages new applications 
for W65C products and the platform for a wide 


calculator chips, and CBM stopped 
work on its calculator chip 
production. WDC was left to suffer 
the same fate as MOS. 

However, Mr. Mensch not about to let 
that happen, In October 1980, shortly after the 
CBM/WDC deal was signed, Xerox Corporation 
had sought to contract Mensch for some design 
work, but because of the CBM deal, WDC 
couldn't have Xerox asa customer. Xerox offered 
to give CBM access to its latest fabrication 
techniques in return for the ability to contract 


Mensch, but Commodore wasn't interested, 
After Commodore and WDC parted ways, 
Mensch contacted Xerox. They were still 
interested, and dumped their entire R&D 
budget into WD count to keep themalive 
until the beginning of 1981. At that time, 
Mensch and WDC helped design the CPU for 
Xerox's Star Systems Computers. These 
computers were the fabled work of the Xerox 
Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) that 
included the first graphical user interface and 
introduced the world to that amazing input 
device, the “mouse”. 


18 


range of consumer computers. 


After that work was completed, WDC was 
contracted by Mitel Corporation to create a 
CMOS ver 
helped design not even a decade prior. Evidently, 
Mycel had created a design, but the design 
contained a serious flaw that prevented the unit 
from achieving a speed over 250 kHz. WDC 
helped Mitel redesign the part, and Mensch saw 
that Mitel’s fabri 
CMOS 
tried to interest Commodore in earlier. So as 
quickly as possible, WDC engineered a CMOS 
version of the 6502, called the 65C02, in 1982. 

‘The new design was completed and initial 
prototypes ran at 4 MHz, 4 times the speed of 
the MOS/CBM NMOS version, Immediately, 
Rockwelland GTE licensed the unit and started 
production. Commodore, being the way they 
were, sued WDC over the design, claiming it 
used trade secrets acquired at MOS. Once 
n, the 6502 design faced legal problems. 
Luckily, this suit (as the first) was settled out of 


ation process suited his needs. 
fo 


ersion of a 6502, the project he had 


ag 


Issue 12 


Important Events in the Timeline 


* The September 8, 1975 Issue of Electronic Engineering Times contains the first ad 


for 6501/02 from MOS. 
* The November 3, 1975 Electronic New 
* Mensch left MOS in March of 1977. 


ws has first mention of Motorola/MOS suit. 


* Mensch was contacted by CBM in February of 1978. 

* Menschand Tramiel met on Mother's Day, 1978to strike the deal. They talkedafter 
Jack had won a couple thousand at the blackjack table (I assume in Vegas). 

* WDC came into being on May 26, 1978. 


* Mensch had 10 MHz NMOS 6502 CP! 


Us in operation in 1978. They were due toa 


mistake at the fab, and ran very hot, but also ran very fast, 
* Commodore and WDC parted ways in October of 1980. 


Other Tidbits 


+ Mensch says Commodore put many companies out of business, but put him in 


business, 


+ A 6600 CPU was designed at Commodore and included the 6502/RAM/ROM on 


asingle chip. It was canned. 
* Mensch helped in designing the PET, 
* Mensch wrote a game for a test machi 
run the screen. The game was similar 


court, since it was shown that the timing for 
the two units was not identical. However, the 
most important piece of evidence for WDC 
was a particular operation of the CPU that very 
few programmers ever use. 

‘The 6502 can treat data in the CPU two 
different ways. The first is called binary mode, in 
which a byte holds a quantity from 0 to 255. The 
other mode (which most programmers stay far 
away from) is called decimal mode, in which each 
byte is treated as two 4-bit nybbles which can hold 
a value from 0-9. Thus, a byte can express values 
from00to99. Underarithmeticoperations, decimal 
mode causes the CPU to perform extra work. In 
binary mode, adding $01 to $19 yields $1A. 
However, in decimal mode, the same operation 
looks different ($01+$19=$20). Notice the 
difference. In decimal mode, the low nybble is 
computedfirst($1+$9=$0), a 
to the high nybble addition. ‘This is called high 
nybble fixup. Whileat MOS, Bill Mensch designed 
a way of doing the fixup elegantly and had been 
issued a patent for it. In designing the 65C02, he 
purposely performed the fixup in a different way 
which required an extra clock cycle, Therefore, 
Commodore couldn't claim patent infringement. 
So Commodore, without much evidence to take to 
court, settled the suit, As part of the settlement, 
WDC allowed Commodore to license the design. 

After the 65C02 started taking on a life of its 
own, WDC and Bill Mensch set its sights on a 


January 1996 


the VIC-20, and the KIM-I. 
ine used to test 6502 chips. It used a 6522 to 
to “BarnStorming”. 


16-bit version of the 6: Again, Mensch tried 
to interest Commodore in the idea, but CBM was 
not interested. In fact, Commodore thought the 
idea was ludicrous. WDC contacted Apple 
Computer Corporation, who came totakealookat 
the design. The Apple engineers were impressed, 
but flatly stated that Apple had no interest in such 
a CPU. Mensch was disappointed, but vowed to 
complete the design, believing that Apple would 
use the unit someday. ight he was! 

To complete the design of the 16-bit 6502, 
Mensch worked on the plans at home on a game 


table. Hekept it distinct from his business ventures, 
since the design could not be funded. Then, 1983 
saw the birth of the 16-bit 6502, dubbed the 
65C816. Initially, the unit ran at 4MHz and came 
in two versions. One, called the 65C816S, was the 
full blown design. The other, called the 65C802, 
“816 that was pin compatible with the 
65C02. Toease migration of code from the 65C02, 
both versions could emul: 2 CPU. 

Not long after the prototypes were produced, 
WDC got a call from Apple. It seems Steve 
Wozniak, the famed designer ofthe Apple Il, had 
come out ofsemi-retirement to head up the design 
ofthe Apple IIX, and the"W. antedtouse the 
65C816. Bill Mensch’s prophecy had come true 
as Apple introduced the Apple IIX, called the 
Apple IIGS when introduced. Furthermore, all 
that time spent designing the unit at home had 
paid off for Bill Mensch. 


a 65 


19 


The rest, as they say, is history. The success of 
the Apple IGS kept money rolling into The 
Western Design Center. As the years progressed, 
both the 65C : ize 
madesmaller, resultingin increasingly faster clock 
speeds, and finally culminating in the 20 Miz 
unit induced in 1995. Even after the Apple IGS 
was discontinued, each CPU found customers 
who were familiar with the 6502 architecture, 
and impressed with the speeds of WDC's CPUs. 
One such customer is more familiar to many of 
us. Atthe turn of the decade, a new genre of game 
consoles came on the market, one of the first 
being the Nintendo Entertainment System, Its 
or was the Super NES, which uses 
the main CPU, 

Commodore has seen some use of this CPU as 
well. While Commodore never bought into the 
16-bit CPU idea, third party manufacturers have 
brought out numerous accelerator cartridges for 
the Commodore 64, including either the 65C02 
or 65C816S as the heart of the units, As earlier 
noted, the FLASH-8 cartridge introduced in 
Europe last year uses the 8 MI1z 65C816S, and 
the CMD unit planned for 1996 will use thenewly 
introduced 20 MHz version of the chip. 

So, if you purchase a CMD SuperCPU 
accel 


G6saw their die 


rator cartridge, remember that when you 
hook the unit up to your Commodore 64 or 128, 
youwill be reuniting two technologies connected 
toa single man: William Mensch. 


+) 


The Western Design Center, Inc. 
2166 East Brown Road 

Mesa, Arizona 85213 

Phone: (602) 962-4545 

Fax: (602) 835-6442 

E-mail: wdesignc @indirect.com 


COMMODORE WORLD 


TH 


fam) 


By Jim Brain 


It has been announced on the Internet and 
FIDONet, written about in this mag: 
many others like it, and Iam sure some of you 
may have already ordered it, What am [ referring 
to? The CMD SuperCPU accelerator cartridge, 
Ata maximum speed of 20 MHz, the unit will be 
over twice as fast as the current crop of 
accelerators, In addition to speed, the unit 
contains a processor that is more than just a 
souped-up 6510 CPU. This article will touch on 
the differences between the 6510 and this new 
processor, the W65C816S from WDC, The 
Western Design Center, Inc. 

The W65C816S from WDC is an interesting 
processor by itself, but most programmers and 
users are probably wondering how this change 
will affect them and the performance of the 
SuperCPU cartridge, and many are interested in 
the additional features this CPU contains, 


zine and 


Emulation Mode 

When the W65C8 16S CPU (called the ‘816 from. 
here on) is first powered up, it behaves just like 
65C02, which is a CMOS version of the 6502 as 
found inthe VIC-20, The 65 10in the Commodore 
64 and the 8502 in the Commodore 128 are just 
6502 CPUswithan internal I/O register and da 
direction register for that register. Since this set 


a 


of registers can be added externally to a 6502 
without any loss of compatibility, anda 6510and 


COMMODORE WORLD 


RECT (0) 


8502 only differ with respect to maximum 
processing speed, we will use the 6510 for 
comparisons, As the CPU will be in this mode 
most of the time, we should evaluate how it 
compares toa stock 6510, 


Onboard 1/0 

As earlier noted, the ‘816 does not contain 
onboard 1/O, but that can be addressed with 
some simple hardware in the accelerator unit. 
Therefore, this problem can be overcome and 
will not affect compatibility, 


CPU Speed 

‘The ‘816 can run at speeds from DC to 20 MHz. 
Obviously, this isa drastic change from the 6510, 
whieh runs at approximately 1 MHz, Pro 
which rely on the fact that instructions will be 


executed at 1 MHz should be expected to fail. 
Notable examples include many “demos”, and 
programs that contain some disk speedup 
utilities. Programmers who want to ensure 
compatibility with accelerated systems should 
try to use the raster interrupt for video timing, 
and the CIA timers for general purpose timing, 
cle counting”, Where more precise 
timing is required, programmers could use a 
routine to check the number of cycles executed 
over a specific period of time via one of the CIA 
TOD clocks. [Note: the SuperCPU also has a 


instead of 


20 


Western Design Center’s W65 8168 


register that can beused to slow the clock downto 
1 MHz for routines which require timing based 
on the standard clock rate.] 


Undefined or “Illegal” Opcodes 
The original 6502, as designed by MOS 
‘Technologies, contained only 151 opcodes, but 
it used an entire 8-bit byte to represent each 
instruction. Therefore, there are 255 opcode 
possibilities, leaving 105 151) undefined 
10, MOS didn’t 
“mask" the effects of unused opcodes, 

These opcodes are often called “illegal” 
because the CPU manufacturer reserved theright 
to change any or all of them at will, and advised 


se of the 6! 


opcodes. In the 


against their use, They usually perform a 
function determined by others opcodes in the 
same row and column. Some programmers 
considered certain of the 6510's undefined 
opcodes usefull in certain instances, and have 
utilized them over the years. 

Since the ‘816 defines all of the 256 opcodes, 
any program utilizing a undefined 6510 opcode 
will most likely fail. Since the number of 
programs using these opcodes are few, this 
should not pose a significant problem, It may 
even be possible to patch some important 
programs that contain these offending 
instructions, but programmers would be well 


advised to avoid using undefined opcodes, or at 


Issue 12 


least make some attempt to determine if the 
target computer can support such opcodes at 
run-time. 


Zero-Page Page Crossing 

In the 6510, issuing the instruction LDA (SFE),X. 
would retrieve the contents of the address in 
(High:Low) $00:$FF. This behavior comes from 
the 6510 CPU's inability to cross the page 
boundary when using zero-page. The ‘816 will 
retrieve the data from the address in (H:L) 
$100:$FF, which is the more correct behavior. 
Very few programs should suffer from this 
difference, since most programmers don’t use 
address $00 (which is where the onboard I/O 
resides) as a regular RAM location. 


Indirect Jump Across Page 
Boundary 

Also in the 6510, trying to 
do a JMP ($XXFF) will 
jump to the location in 
(IU:L) SXX00:$XXFF. The 
‘816 jumps to the more 
correct location in (H:L) 
SXX00+$100:SXXFF. 
Again, very few programs 
should fail to execute due 
to this difference, but the 
possibility is always there. 
Programmers — should 
strive to prevent this 
scenario from occurring. 


Decimal Mode 
Status 

In the 6510, the status of 
decimal mode (rarely used 
mode on the 6510) is 
unknown after reset. Also, 
the status of this mode i 
not changed after an 
interruptoccurs. On the’816, bot 
the Decimal Flag to be reset to 0. 
authorities like Jim Butterfield and most 
programming books advise against using 
mode at all, the effects of this are likely moot. 


2 this 


Flags in Decimal Mode 

‘The ‘816 ensures that the Z (Zero), N (Negative), 
and V (Overflow) flags are correctly set and reset 
when in Decimal mode. The Western Design 
Center claims that the 6510 does not correctly set 
these flags while in decimal mode. However, 
alternate sources indicate that the 6510 does 
indeed set these flags correctly when in decimal 
mode. As noted, so few programmers use this 
mode, the issue is most likely nonexistent. 


January 1996 


RDY Pin Influence 

On the 6510, ifthe RDY pinis pulled low during 
a write, the write will complete before the 
processor stops executing. On the ‘816, the 
processor will stop immediately. This is why 
both the VIC-II and the REC chip in the 
Commodore REU series wait 3 ¢ after 
signaling the processor to stop before making 
any attempt to use the data bus during the CPU 
is should only affect those 
ams which use severe mutations of 
andard video modes, [Note: While this 
problem if the 6510 
were replaced by an ‘816, this isn’t the case with 
the SuperCPU, VIC-II memory operations ¥ 
occur only in the main computer, using the 
internal bus. REU access with the SuperCPU is 
handled by custom logic which mimics the 
i of the 6510.) 


time slice. 


difference would cause 


described charac 


Interrupt After Fetch of BRK 
Vector 


iggered after the 6510 loads the 
vector fora BRK condition, the 6510 will ignore 
the pending BRK and load the IRQ interrupt 
vector and jump to it. On the 816, the BRK will 
continue to completion, and the IRQ will be 
handled after the BRK is handled. Thi 
incom 


happening with 
other. Since BRK is normally used only while 
executil program in a monitor, this 
incompatibility should not affect typical users 
in normal situations. The ‘816 behavior does 
not pose a problem for the programmer, since 
he or she will always catch the BRK situation 


21 


now, whereas the 6510 might allow it to slip 
through the cracks. This also applies to other 
interrupt scenarios, as in NMI after IRQ, NMI 
after BRK, etc. The 6510 might lose the first 
condition, while the 816 will always handle all 
exception conditior 

Allother aspects of the CPU are identical to 
the 6510 with respect to function and form. It 
is stated by The Western Design Center that 
the 65C816S can be inserted into an Atari 
2600 game console and the user can play all 
but a handful of the games ever marketed for 
the machine. However, that was when the 
CPU ran at the same speed as the original 
6502 it replaced, Although the above 
conditions do exist in emulation mode, the 
single most problematic issue is simply speed. 
Some programs will refuse to run at the 
increased CPU clock speeds, while others 
(mostly games) will simply execute too quickly 
to be useful. 


Native Mode 

‘The ‘816 is actually two microprocessors in 
one. As noted, it emulates a 6502/6510 very 
it, folks—there's more! The 816 
contains an impressive set of extensions to 
the 6502 architecture that enable it to perform 
16-bit operations. That's right! The ‘816 is a 
16-bit CPU. Here is a quick rundown of the 
many features available in 16-bit, “native” 
mode: 


Internal 16-bit Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU) 
16-bit stack pointer (stack space increased 
from 256 bytes to 64KB) 

16-bit accumulator and index registers 
24-bit address bus allows RAM capacity of 
16 MB 

Includes original 6502 addressing modes 
and opcodes 

Additional opcodes to support 16-bit 
operations 

Support for Virtual Memory 

* Extrapinson|Cindicateinternal conditions: 
like interrupt vector fetch, valid data and 
valid program address 

Instructions like WAI (Wait for Interrupt) 
and STP (Stop Clock) further decrease CPU 
power usage 


Internal support for co-processor 

For the end user, it is apparent that most of 
these enhancements will more than likely only 
be useful if software is written to use these new 
features. Other features may require that 
additional hardware be developed to take 
advantage of the many additional modes and 


COMMODORE WORLD 


properties, So in the remainder of this article, | 
will introduce the Commodore programmer to 
these new features and suggest some possible 
uses for them with respect to Commodore 
computers. 


16-bit Architecture 
The ‘816 is a 16-bit version of the 6502. 
Internally, the unit can support either 8-or 16-bit 
data as single units. The 

programmer 
between 8-and 16-bit functions 
via a bit in the status register, 
In8-bit mode, theaceumulator 
is 8 bits wide (A), while in 16- 
bit mode the accumulator is 16 
bits in width (A +B =C). In 8 
bit mode, the upper 8 bits of 
the accumulator, although not 


can switch 


Co. 


accessible to the programmer, 
can be used as temporary 
storage with the 


new 


Inge 
(XBA) 
instruction. The index registers 


Accumulator 


(X and Y) can also be 16 bits in 
length, allowing the programmer to index 
across 64KB of data. 


16-bit Stack Pointer 

Stack oriented programming languages like 
“Cand Pascal are more suited to the ‘816 
because the '816 contains a G4KB stack page. 
In contrast, the 6502/10 has but one-sixteenth 
of thats ge programmers 
will also appreciate the added stack area for 
multiple or recursive subroutine calls, 


ace. Machine langt 


24-bit Address Bus Allows RAM 
Size of 16 MB 

With the address bus increase to 24 bits in width 
(the 6510 has a 16-bit address bus), the ‘816 can 
directly access 16 MB of memory. Since all of the 
area can be seen by 


he processor at one time, the 
conceptsofbank switching, REU DMA, andother 
memory expansion tricksareno longer necessary. 
Ofcourse, the added memory must be present in 
order to make use of this feature, but the 


possibility is there. 


Includes Original 6502 
Addressing Modes and Opcodes 
Pre 


utilities to the ‘816 immedia 


MMers can start porting applications and 
All of the 
familiar instructions and addressing modes 
found in the 65XX architecture are included, as 
are the familiar registers .A, .X, and .Y. In fact, 
programmers may opt to not learn any new 
instructions at all. 


COMMODORE WORLD 


Additional Opcodes to Support 

16-bit Operations 

To support the new features found in the '816, 
the CPU contains over90new opcodes, Theability 
to transfer the stack pointer to C register (TSC), 
store zero bytes into memory (STZ), and perform 
block moves with a single opcode (MVN, MVP) 
ensure that the ‘816 programmer has the tools 
needed to simplify programming tasks. 


“Because the CPU provides so 


many new features, the 
mmodore computer owner 


and/or programmer may be 
initially overwhelmed by all the 
things that can theoretically 
be accomplished.” 


Support for Virtual Memory 
With the ‘816, extra hardware outside the CPU 
can alert it to an exception condition on the 
memory currently being accessed, The ABORT 
pin can be brought low to foree the CPU from 
updating any registers affected by the currently 
ulinginstruction. Thi 
rdware, permits the er 


ex 


facility, coupled with 
tion 
of more sophisticated operating system designs 


some additional | 


that force programs to request memory and 
disallow access to memory areas not owned by 


that program. This allows designs of 


multitasking operating systems and multiple 
user systems, Imagine a Commodore 64 being 
used by multiple people. (This is my personal 
favorite feature.) 


Extra Pins on IC 

These indicate internal conditions like interrupt 
vector fetch, valid dataand valid program address. 
‘Theserious programmerwillappreciate the ex 
outputs available on the CPU, These extra logic 
pins will reflect what is happening inside the 
processor during internal operations. These pins 
could be used for debugging large programs, or 
external CPU enhancement cartridges. Other uses 


include co-processoroperation,and multipleCPU 
environments. 

Instructions like WAT (Wait for Interrupt) 
and STP (Stop Clock) further decrease CPU 
power usage. Although not necessary fora home 
computer like the C-64 or C-128, these features 


22 


could prove useful for individuals taking 
machine into the field or on the road. Each of 
these opcodes puts the CPU into “sleep” mode, 
which requires very little current draw. 


Internal Support For Co-processor 
‘The Co-processor opcode (COP) can be used to 
support additional or second: 
emulate complex pseudo-opcodes in software, 

127 unique user COP opcodes can be 


ary processors, or 


defined however the programmer sees 
fit, This feature provides an easy way for 
programmers tointerface with secondary 
processors, and emulate the operation 
of a secondary processor if one is not 
present. 


And More Surprises 
There are many other notable 
the ‘816. In the 
pins on the chip, one pin indicates the 
mode the processor is running in 
(emulation or native mode), while another 
pindisplays whethertheaccumulatorand 
index registers are currently being 
accessed as 8-bit registers or 16-bit ones, Finally, 
one pin can be used to externally synchronize 
memory shared by multiple'816 processors (The 
Memory Lock or MLB pin). 

Internal 
surprises. The programmer can switch between 


features in 


rea of indicator output 


y, the processor has yet more 


native and emulation mode on the fly, and the 


stack of the CPU can be accessed via relative 
addressing. With the 16-bit index registers, 
G4KB chunksof 


data in one loop, and the block move opcodes 


programmers can read and write 


make moving memory impossibly easy. Since all 


opcodes are present in both modes, one can take 


advantage of many of these features without 


having to reprogram existing 6510 machine 
language. 


completely address all of the features of the 
“816, Because the CPU provides so many 


new features, 


the Commodore computer 


owner and/or programmer may be initially 
n 


theoretically be accomplished, | am 


overwhelmed by all the new things that ¢ 


convinced that only a short time will pass 
before many of these features will be 
exploited to further the power and usability 
of the Commodore computer system. 
However, let us always remember to walk 
before we run, and apply that principle to 
our computing as well. 


Issue 12 


Excrmne New Pr CTs 
AVaiLasLe From CMD 


: ‘cao lana 6 f TR 


Armed with an unlimited 
supply of ammo, you 
set out to retrieve all the 
stars and terminate or 
avoid the creatures who 
try to stop you, while 
humming the catchy 
tune featured in this 
game. SlaterMan 
features five unique 
screens for each 
— level, passwords 
LEVEL 102 : for moving to a 

wi given level, plus 
the ability to 
enable both 
music and sound, just music, just effects or silence. 
SlaterMan is a well designed game promising a great 
escape from everyday stress; but best of all, you 
can play it without reading volumes of instructions! 
SLATER SlaterMan $14.95 


SCORE:BB1208 


known as the 
The ae so nin Shogun 9 
Swor 4 
Yuichiro's fami . AS 
oftime. Traditio 


his soul an 
sword whichis why th 


Fusion powered laser 
tanks firing through a 


it, 
. 4 can tovcTgbeenguardedtor centuries field of geometric 
uy : fnungrydamion, Toronaga, shapes that deflect or 
The power" id do absorb each laser blast 


makeup the fieldof play 
in this game of skill 

pep oa J Giliionse nto have 
mastered the 
technique of banking shots in the direction of their enemy will 
survive! Single or Two player, Lazer Duel offers 40 screens 
and 80 levels - each victory bring's a greater challenge, 

making it difficult to beat the game! 


LAZERDUEL LazerDuel $14.95 


s on this 
itthe story fine did Daas Strats right 
f compres: creel ay! 
rege Ns - over 2 co cori 4 To Order CALL CMD 
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| features: tna rg ere's Yen eae Lorne Winter 800) 638-3263 


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of the 


With the upcoming release of 
CMD'sSuperCPU, there havebeen 
numerous calls, letters, and E-mail 
messages from users ng about 
this new product. Whatisit? What 
does it do? Where does it plug in? 
How will it effect the operation of 


your computer? 


Hopefully, many of these 
questions will be answered by this 
exclusive preview ofthe product. It 
isimportant to note, however, that 
theSuperCPUisaworkin progress, 
and thatsome ofthe details simply 
aren'tayailableyet.Asthey become 
Known, we'll endeavor to keep our 
readers informed, and up-to-date, 

Let mealso point out that CMD 
has already altered some of their 
plans for the SuperCPU product 
line. Ifyou haven't yet read On The 
Horizon in this issue, CMD has 
announced that the SuperCPU 64/10 (the 10 MHz version) has been 
cancelled due to insufficient interest in that model. At the same time, 
there has been an official announcement of a 128 version. This latter 
decision by CMD was based on the large response from the 128 user 
community for such a product. But this latter announcement comes 
with a price: time, In order to make the 128 version feasible, CMD will 


COMMODORE WORLD 


The SuperCPU from CMD (Artist's rendering) 


24 


attempt to co-develop parts ofthe 
128 version alongwith the present 
64version, which they expect will 
now be delayed for an additional 
-twomonths, For further details of 
these announcements, see this 


jon of your C-64/128 
fs ~ It plugs directly into 
the cartridge port, and not only 
‘computer added speed 
in calculations, but also provides 
“thee ‘computer portion of JiffyDOS 

~ (CMDs disk speed enhancement 
speed). At its heart is the 
W65C816S microprocessor 
running at 20 MHz and a CPLD 
(Complex Programmable Logic Device IC) which contains the custom 
logic required to mimic the characteristics of the Commodore 64, The 
64 version also contains 128K Bytes of high-speed Static RAM (the 
sametypeofhigh-speed cache memory foundin 486/Pentiumsystems), 
and 64K Bytes of ROM. The 128 version will include additional RAM, 
ROM and custom logicto allowit to operate in both 64 and 128 modes, 


Issue 12 


Physical Characteristics 

The SuperCPUis contained within an enclosure 
that measures approximately 6" wide by 3" high 
and 2" deep. Theenclosurehasan opening forthe 
Cartridge-Port Pass-Thru connector at the rear, 
precisely in line with the computer's Cartridge 
Port. The unit is about the same width as a 
RAMLink or Commodore REU. The main circuit 
board inside the SuperCPU mounts vertically, 
keeping the depth ofthe unit toa minimum. This 
helps to prevent devices plugged into the 
pass-thru port from extending too far back from 
the computer, Three easy-to-use toggle switches 
line the upper front edge of the unit: a Master 
Enable/Disable switch, a JiffyDOS Enable/ 
Disable switch, and a Speed selection switch. 
While the current prototype lacks a reset button 
andLEDstatusindicators, these optionsare being 
considered for the final design. 


Installation 

Installing the SuperCPU 64 nple: just plug it 
into the Cartridge port. No additional wiring or 
jumpers need to be installed inside of the 
computer, (The C-128 version may, however, 
require a jumper clip.) 


Operation 

Operating the SuperCPU requires no special 
knowledge. The user can perform all standard 
computer tasks in exactly the same manner as 
with a stock system, gaining the benefit of 
greatly accelerated speed. The toggle switches 
ontheunitare clearly labeled, easily accessible, 
and can be used without having to refer to a 
manual in order to determine their function. 
As with CMD’s RAMLink, the SuperCPU has 
been designed to work out-of-the-box with any 
C64 or 128 computer—no manual “tuning” 
adjustments will be required. 


Compatibility 

The SuperCPU 64 operates with C-64 and C-64c 
computers as well as the C-128/128-D in 64 
mode. The W65C816S supports all legal 6502/ 
6510/8502 opcodes, and will therefore provide 
a very high level of compatibility with existing 
software. The €-64 memory map is emulated 
exactly bythe CPLD, and proprietary write-thru 
logicin this chip ensures full compatibility with 
all VIC graphic modes and memory mapping. 


REU's: The CPLD chipin theSuperCPU includes 
Special DMA transfer logic to provide 100% 
Compatibility with all types of data transfers to 
and from Commodore REU’s. The unit does not 
have to be slowed down to 1 MHz in order to 
initiate a DMA transfer to/from the REU. 


January 1996 


RAMLink: The Super CPU is 100% RAMLink 
compatible, and contains its own version of 
RL-DOS, which runs from the SuperCPU’s 
high-speed Static RAM. The faster RL-DOS, 
along with the efficiency of new 65C816S 
opcodes allows faster data transfers toand from 
RAMCard memory and also speeds up data 
transfers to/from CMD HD Series hard drives 
connected to RAMLink’s parallel port. 


GEOS: Version 2.0 will be 100% compatible. 
Special software will be provided with the 
SuperCPU allowing GEOS to run at full speed. 


providing DOS-Wedge commands and 
enabling high-speed serial transfer ratestoand 
from JiffyDOS-equipped disk drives. The 
JiffyDOS Enable/Disable switch is designed to 
function on the fly without disabling the 
accelerator itself. 


Cartridge Port Pass-Thru: Enables the full use of 
most plug-in hardware devices such as REU's, 
RAMLink, Swiftlink, SID Cartridge, GEORAM, 
and some software cartridges. These devices will 
work while the accelerator is running at 20 MHz. 


sod Nddedn 


The current prototype board for CMD's Super 64 CPU 


Performance 

To help achieve its high level of performance 
and to accommodate the 20 MHz speed, all 
operating system routines are downloaded into 
64K of the high-speed Static RAM during 
power-up. This feature eliminates the bottleneck 
caused by ROM-based operating system code 
(on PC's, this technique is called ROM-BIOS 
shadowing). 64K of high-speed SRAM remains 
free for programs. In addition, buffered 
write-thru circuitry (similar to PC cache 
controllers) eliminates the need to slow down 
when writing data into computer. 


Additional Features 


Built-in JiffyDOS Kernal ROM: The computer 
portion of JiffyDOSis built into the SuperCPU, 


25 


GEOS Software: Custom software to optimize 
GEOS operation is provided. Additionally, an 
it 
designed especially for GEOS effectively 
eliminates major performance bottlenecks 
associated with previous accelerator designs, 
Coupled with the 20 MHz clock speed, thi 
feature will boost the performance of GEOS far 


intelligent write-thru hardware ci 


beyond anything previously available. 


Speed Selection: The speed selection switch 
provides three options: 1) Slow (1 MHz) mode 
for compatibility with programs (such as some 
games) that may operate too quicklyin theturbo 
mode; 2)a “soft” Turbo mode which operates at 
20MHzand provides programs witha software 
speed selection register for switching to Slow 
speed when necessary; and 3) a “forced” Turbo 


COMMODORE WORLD 


mode which keeps the CPU in 20 MHz mode 
regardless of the setting of the software register, 
This mode is useful for providing compatibility 
with existing programs that unintentionally 
alter the software register. (Note: The SuperCPU 
performs disk access functions properly in all 
three speed modes.) The user can change speed 
modes by toggling the speed selection switch 
while the SuperCPU is operating without 
quitting from the current program. 


Expansion Capabilities 

The SuperCPU includes an internal connector 
(called the“Rocket Socket") which will enable the 
user to plug ina CMD-supplied RAM Expansion 
card. This card will have on-board SIMM sockets 
and can contain from 1 to 16 Megabytes of 
Dynamic RAM (DRAM). The RAM on this card 
can be used as either data or program storage, In 
addition, some or all of this RAM can be 
configured for use as an ultra-high-speed RAM 
disk drive. 


Development Support 
CMD will be acti 


ly working with developers 


of the SuperCPU. A comprehensive developers 
ye will be available, and will include an 
assembler which supports all 65C816S opcodes 
and addressing modes. In addition to the 
extensive documentation will provide 
pertinent technical specifications, guidelines, and 
sample code. This package will enable developers 
to produce programs which take advantage of 
the 65C8165's enhanced instruction set, 16 MB 


COMMODORE WORLD 


addressing capability (for users with the optional 
SuperRAM Expansion Card), as well as other 
SuperCPU capabilities. 


Programmable Functions 
The SuperCPU contains a special register which 
allows programmers to control the clock speed. 


An additional register is used to control the 
SuperCPU’s WriteSmart™ function (see the 
sidebar), which determines what areas of the 
SuperCPU memory are mirrored in the host 
computer. Applications which can use reduced 
mirroring can signific 
operating speed. 


‘antly increase their overall 


Temporary Conclusion 

As mentioned previously, the SuperCPU is a 
work-in-progress, and it will take a little more 
time before everything is known, and before 
everything that appears to be ‘known’ now is 
really considered to be ‘carved in stone’, 

If anything can be concluded, | believe that 
CMDis creating a powerful new engine to power 
our C-64's and 128's, for those of us who either 
want or desire that power. Clearly, the features 
outlined here show that this design goes f 
beyond other previous accelerators in the areas 
of performance, expandability, compatibility, 
and features, 

Furthermore, the creation ofan 
the developers kit hints at the p ity ofnew 
applicationsin the future that will take advantage 
ofthe power and resources this new device brings 
to the C-64/128 platform. Naturally, we'll keep 
you informed as further developments unfold! 


§) 


emblerand. 


Some SuperCPU Technical Notes 


The SuperCPU operates independently of 
the host computer's clock, but can 
synchronize with the host when necessary. 
This allows the SuperCPU to process data 
ata full 20 MHz while the VIC chip continues 
normal operation, Slowdowns can occur, 
however, because the host computer's 
memory and I/O locations must be updated 
when the associated SuperCPU memory 
locations are changed. In addition, serial 
bus timing routines must be performed at 
the standard 1 MHz speed. 

Since the host computer's clock and 
memory operate ata slower speed than the 
SuperCPU, memory transfers between the 
two must be synchronized. Such transfers 
are the result of using LOAD and STORE 
instructions (such as LDA or STX) when 
the memory referenced is part of mirrored 
memory. 

By nature of its design, the SuperCPU is 
able to maintain a minimum effective speed 
of 4 MHz during these memory transfers. 
By optimizing code for the SuperCPU, 
higher transfer rates are possible. 


26 


Programmers can also take advantage 
of the WriteSmart™ and CacheWrite™ 
features within the SuperCPU to further 
optimize their code. Doing so allows 
optimum speed during memory transfers, 
and avoids transfers when they aren't 
required. Here's a brief overview of these 
features. 

WriteSmart: This feature determines 
which areas of SuperCPU memory and 
host computer memory must be mirrored, 
A register within the SuperCPU allows 
setting of four different configurations; all 
memory, BASIC (for default screen and 
color memory), GEOS (GEOS screen and 
color memory), and none. I/O memory is 
always mirrored unless I/O is switched off. 

CacheWrite: This feature works in 
conjunction with STORE instructions, and 
holds a byte that needs to be placed into 
the host's memory until the host can accept 
it. If no further STORE instructions occur 
while the cache is full, no clock-stretching 
will be required in the SuperCPU, and 
optimum speed will be maintained. 


Issue 12 


E X A N D 
YOUR SYSTEM 


5 SUOT CARTRIDGE PORT EXPANDERS 
The EX2+1 and EX3 Cartridge Port Expanders bring new 
expandability to you Commodore 64 or 128. Combine the 
use of compatible cartridges. Disable cartridges notin use. 
Change the address your computer finds a cartridge at. 
Avoid the constant changing of cartridges that puts extra 
wear on your cartridge port. The EX3 offers 3 vertical 
expansion slots, while the EX2+1 provides 2 vertical slots 
and 1 horizontal slot. Both units offer 7 switchable signals 
per slot, address mapping on slot 2, and a reset button. 


ose 8c 


P 


; programming ~"the Gatekeeper 


* 
+ Povlous ofthe, 610 First St. 
Fnews “2g Liverpool 
* and more! 

Sample issue 


(20 pages): $2.00 


‘year subscription 
(6 issues): $1100 


ed 


Don’t forget to notify 
COMMODORE WORLD! 


Please call or write with your change of 
address 6 to 8 weeks prior to your move 
so that you won't miss a single issue! 


System Requirements 


* SEND & RECEIVE FAXES to/from any fax machine 
or computer running a fax modem 


* User-friendly and easy to operate 
+ Auto-answer mode for unattended operation 


* Manual send/receive mode lets you share phone 
line 


* Built-in functions convert faxes to geoPaint files 

* geoPaint files may be faxed without conversion 

* Built-in printing functions for printing fax 
documents and geoPaint files 

* Printer drivers may be selected directly from 
within the program 

]| ° Full-page scanning into geoPaint is possible 
using a standard fax machine as a scanner 

* Built-in simple terminal program lets you browse 
telecommunications services 


* Commodore C-64, C-64C, C-128, 128-D computer 
* GEOS 64 or GEOS 128 version 2.0 
* SwiftLink RS-232 cartridge 

* Group Ill, Class 2 fax modem 


* GEOS compatible disk drive (large capacity drive 
or RAM disk recommended but not required) 


Prices & Specia undies 


GeoFAX......4. $39.95 geoFAX & 


SwiftLink ........ $75% 
SwiftLink .....0. $39.95 

geoFAX, SwiftLink 
BOCA 14.4 


& BOCA 14.4 Fax 
Fax Modem .. $129.95 Modem........+ 


Creative Micro Designs 


January 1996 


See our main ad in this 
issue for complete 
ordering information. 


27 


$1952 
1-800-638-3263 


COMMODORE WORLD 


HD-40, 42 MB (Limited Supply) 
HD-340, 340 MB (Special Edition) .. 
HD-500, 500+ MB (Special Edition) 
HD-1000, 1 GB (Special Edition) 
HD-2000, 2 GB (Special Edition) 
FD Series 35 Floppy Disk: Davee 
FD-2000 (800K and 1.6 MB) (Special Otter) ... $159.00 
FD Real-Timo-Clock Opton/Kit $20.00/$29.00 
Box of 10, High Density Disks (1.6MB) $14.95 
Box of 10, Enhanced Density Disks (3.2 MB) ... $29.00 


(Specity computer serial number and drive model) 


JitfyDOS C64/SX-64 Systom $49.95 
JitfyDOS C-128/128-D System $59.95 
‘Additional Drive ROMs $24.95 


| Miscolianoous Harawaros | 
a umn Monitors (Returb) 

Se oe nS CO 
Aprotek User Port Extension Cable 
C-64/64-C Computers (Refurb, w/JD) 
C-64, C-64C Power Supply (Repairable) 
Cc 128 Power Supply (Repairable) 
Cannon BJC-4100 Color Bubble Jet Printer .. ‘$399. 00 


CMD EX2+1 3-Port Cartridge Port Expander... $34.95 
CMD EX3 3-Port Cartridge Port Expander $29.95 
CMD Gamopad/Joystick Controller $24.95 
CMD GeoCable Il Print Cable 6ft/15ht... $29,00/S34.00 
CMD SmartMouse (1351 Gompatibie Mouse)... $49.95 
CMO SmartTrack (1351 Compatible Trackball). $69.95 
Inkwell Light Pen Model 1706 ummm $75.00 
Monitor Cablos CALL 
Mouse Pad $2.95 


MW-350 Printor Interlaco (OK/BK Butfer) $49,00/$60.00 
Panasonic KXP-1150 Spin Printer... $169.00 
Panasonic KXP-2023 24-pin Printer, ‘$229.00 
Panasonle KXP-2135 24-pin Color Printer ...... $319.00 


Se Utinities i 


Big Bluo Reader V4,10 (SOGWAP) $39.00 
CMO Utitios $24.95 
slityMON-64 (ML Monitor) $19.95 
The Comprossion Kit 94 (Mad Man) $39.00 
Colotto Uvities (Handy Geos Utitios) $19.95 
Dosk Pack Plus $29.00 


Owoozils Groatest Hits (New To0ls2 Stamp Labwit28) $30.00 


FONTPAGK Plus $25.00 
gataWay 64 or 128 (Spocity Version) $29.95 
eoBASIC $20.00 
geoCale 64/128 $40,00'$45,00 
gooChart - $29.00 
OOF AX .. 

ooFilo 64/128... $40.00/845.00 
gooMakoBoot (Makos Bootable copios) $12.95 
gooProgrammer $45.00, 
gooPublish $40.00 
GEOS 64 v2.0 $44.00 
GEOS 128 v2.0 $49.00 
ooSHELL V2.2 (CLI tor GEOS) $24.95 
International FONTPACK. $25.00 


Pertect Print LO for GEOS (Laser-like output) $49.95 
RUN GEOS Companicn $20.00 
RUN GEOS Powe ak | or It (Specify) $20.00 

2 a S 


‘Anatomy of tho 1541 
Basic Compiler Design tor the C-64 
C64 Scionce & Enginooring 

C128 Computer Aided Design 

C128 BASIC Training Guide 

Cassette Book for C64 and Vie 20 
Commodore 64 Tricks and Tips 

GEOS Programmers Retoronce Guide 
Graphics Book for the C-64 
Hitchhikers Guide to GEOS 

Ideas for Use on Your C-64 

Printor Book for the C64 

Mapping the C64 

Simplo Internet 

‘Suporbiase - The Book 


Handyscannor 
Pagetox 


CREDIT 


Sag WE ACCEPT ALL MAJOR 


$149.00 
$229.00 
$349.00 
'$10.00/$19.00 
$24.95 
$14.95 


RAMLink Base Mode! (OMB, No RAMCard) 
RAMLink w/t MB RAMCard .. 
RAMLink wid MB RAMCard .. 
RAMCard ATC Option/Kit 
RAMLink Battory Back-up (Optional) 
Parallel Cable (RAMLink to HD) 


| SIDI. & Sound 


Digmaster $34.95 
SID Symphony Stereo Cartridge $44.95 
‘Sonus 64 Sequoncer, MIDI Interface, Cabies...... $99.00 


‘Sonus 128 canes MIDI Intorface, Cabies ... $99.00 
Ges & Compilers) 


BASIC 64 Compl (Abacus) 
BASIC 128 Compiler (Abacus) $25.00 
Bitz! 64 Compiler (Skyles) $30.00 
Blitz! 128 Compiler (Skyles) $30.00 
Buddy 64/128 Assembler $39.00 
‘Cobo! 64 (Abacus) $17.00 
Fortran 64 (Abacus) $17.00 
Pascal 64 (Abacus) $17.00 

$14.00 


Power C 64 (Spinnaker) 


Cadpak 64 (Abacus) 

Cadpak 128 (Abacus) 

Chartoak 64 (Abacus) 

Chartpak 128 (Abacus) 

{Paint v1.5 (120, cot. 64K VOC) (Lvng Proon 
1 Port v1.54 (128, 80-col,. 64K VOC) (Living Proof 
Qutrageous Pagos (Batons included) 
Personal Portfolio Manager (Abacus) 
Pocket Writer 1 (64) Digital Sol) 

Pocket Writer 2 (64/128) (Digital Sol.) 
Pocket Writer 3 (64 or 128) (Digital Sol.) 
Pocket Planner 2 or Pocket Filor 2 (Digital Sol.) 
PoworPian 64 (Abacus) 

RUN Productivity Pak I. Ii, or Il (Specity) 


$15.00 


RUN Super Startor Pak 1541 or 158t $20.00 
RUN Works $20.00 
SEC Check Rogister 128 $29.00 
SuporScript 64 (Procision) $15.00 
‘SuporScript 128 (Procision) $20.00 
Suberbase 64 Version 3,01 (Precision) $35.00 


Superbaso 128 Version 3.01 (Precision) 
SwiftCale 64 (Timeworks) 

Parfect Tax 64 (Free '95 Upgrade) 
Porfoct Tax 128 (Froe 95 Upgrade) 
TWS 64 w/Speller (Busy Beo) 

TWS 128 w/Spelier (Busy Bee) $39.00 
TWS Modules (HO/AL/Mustrator) ‘each $5.00 


Aprotok MiniModom C-24 (C» ready, 2400 bau) $69.00 
Aprotok MiniModom C (Ge ready, 1200 baud) .... $50.00 


$35.00 
$16.00 
$69.00 
$79.00 
$29.00 


‘Aprotok Modem adapter (C= to Ext. PC Modem) $20.00 
$69.00 


BOCA 2400 Baud Modem 
BOCA 2400 w/SwiftLink and Cable 
BOCA 14.4K bps FaxModem 
BOCA 14.4K w/SwittLink & Cable 
BOCA V.34 28,0 bps FaxModem 
BOCA V.34 wiSwiftLink & Cable... 
Dialogue 128 

‘SwiftLink FS-232 Cartridge (Up to 38.4K baud) 
‘SwitLink Modem Cable (089-0825) 


$39.95 
$9.95 


‘Atomino 
Ballistix 


ay in the Life of Prehistonc Man 
Escape Route 
Heavenbound 

Island of the Dragon 
Laser Squad 

ons of the Universe 
Mainframe 

Monace 

Navy Seal 

Rings of Medusa 

RUN C128 Funpak 

RUN C64 Gamepak 
Skate of Die 

The Amazing Spider-Man 
The President Is Missing! 
The Three Stooges 

Tie Broak Tennis 

Total Eclipse 

Utima V 

Wings ot Circo 

Wizardry 5: Heart of the Maelstrom 


Feel =e 


CARDS 


P.O. Box 646 


CrAD 


East Longmeadow, MA 01028 


Creative Micro Designs, Inc. 


Info: (413) 525-0023 
Fax: (413) 525-0147 


+ SOFTWARE - CMD 
JiffyDOS 


Increase Speed Up to 1500% while 
retaining 100% compatibility 


* Speeds up Loading, Saving, Verifying, Formatting and Reading/ 
Writing of Program, Sequential, User and Relative files unlike 
cartridges which only speed up Loading and Saving of PRG files 

* Built-in DOS Wedge plus 17 additional features including file 
copier, text dump, printer toggle, and redefinable function keys 
make using your computer easier and more convenient 

* ROMupgrade installs easily into most computers and disk drives. 
Supports C-64, 64C, SX-64, C-128, 128-D, 1541, 1541C, 
1541-11,1571, 1581 and more. 


EDSeries 


1.6 MB 3.5" Floppy Drives 


The FD-2000 disk drives utilize today's latest 
3.5 inch disk drive technology. FD-2000's 
support 800K (1581 style) and 1.6 MB (High 
Density) formats. Fast and reliable, they 
support 1541, 1571 and 1581 style partitions, Native Mode 
partitioning and can actually read and write 1581 disks, FD's 
feature built-in JiffyYDOS, SWAP button and optional Real Time 
Clock. High capacity, speed and compatibility make the FD right for 


every application, including GEOS. 


Power-Backed Expandable REU 
The fastest possible form of storage, 
RAMLink provides instant access to files 
and retains data while your computer is 
turned off. Easy to use and expandable up 
to 16 MB, RAMLink utilizes the same powerful operating system 
found in CMD Hard Drives, Unlike Commodore REU's which are 
compatible with less than 1% of commercial software, RAMLink 
supports more than 80% of the commercial titles. RAMLink also 
offers built-in JiffyYOOS Kernal, SWAP feature, reset button, enable/ 
disable switch, pass-thru port and RAM port for REU/GEORAM use. 
RAMLink offers maximum speed, expandability and compatibility 
with all types of software and hardware including GEOS. 


SCSI Hard Drive for the C-64/128 
HD Series Hard Drives are available in 
capacities up to 1 GB, are fully partitionable, 
and can emulate 1541, 1571, & 1581 disks 
while Native partitions utilize MS-DOS-style 
subdirectories. HD's connect easily to the serial bus or parallel via 
RAMLink. Includes built-in JiffyYDOS, SWAP feature and RTC. HD's 
offer superior compatibility with most commercial software including 
BBS, Productivity and GEOS. And with new pricing, HD Series drives 
offer the lowest cost per megabyte of any C64/128 storage device. 


Shipping and Handling Charges 


Use the chart bolow to match your order subtotal with your shipping zone and mothod 
Continental United States 


=a 


— 


PR [canada 

sa | s1700| st200 | $500 
52000 52099 3500 | e900 | S100] sian | s7o0 
52000:85099 zoo | s1000 | s2000 | s1500 | seo 
sca 00 49.09 sm | $1200 | s2a00 | si900 | sia 
5120 00820009 | s1000| siaoo | sev0o | sov0o | sono 
s300.005709.09 | $15.00 | seooo | saaoo | sev0n | s2500 


UPS C.0.D. add $5.00 (USJPR only) 


Policies: CMD accopts: Major Crodit Cards, Money Orders, COD and Personal Checks. 
Personal Checks are hold 3 weeks. Customor is responsible for shipping charges on 
refusals, Most items ate stock, contact CMD for itm delivery. Returns for merchandise 
credit only within 30 days with prior authorization, Credits are loss shipping, handling, 
taxes, customs, duties, and a 10% restocking charge. No relunds or credits on opened 
software. All prices and specitications are subject to change without notice 


Topay's Most Apvancep Mass StoraGE 
Devices Just Became More AFFORDABLE 


FD-2000 Drive Specifications 


Amazing) 1.6)MB capacity) pls reads &) Writes 1567 disks. 


* Upito 20% faster than a’ 11581) on/stock computers, and 
Up to 1500% faster on JiffyDOS-equipped systems 

* Emulates 1541/71/81 disk formats for better compatibility, 
plus CMD) Native partitions for greater flexibility 

* Configurable as devices 8)through 15, plus front panel 
SWAP button for instant device 8 or 9 selection 

* Optional Real-Time Clock (RTC) stamps time and date 
on allfiles and automatically sets GEOS clock 

* Reads, Writes & Formats MS-DOS diskettes using Big 
Blue Reader utility program (available separately) 


aie s 1 5 goo 


Optional Real-Time Clock (RTC) add 20% 


This offer valid only in U.S. and Canada through February 29, 1996. 
May not be combined with any other offers. Prices do not include 
shipping and handling. Please see our main advertisement on the 
opposite page for shipping prices and policies. 


o Order Yours, Call 1-800-638-3263 


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Hard Drives. Solow, infact, 
that we're offering the 
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lower than the original HD-200 back in 1990. If you've ever 
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Demon Stalkers: 
Raid on Doomfane 
Electronic Arts 


I deliberately waited until Halloween to re 
Demon Stalkers: Raid on Doomfane. 
adventure game from Electronic Arts puts youin 
adungeonfilled with gruesome creatures; perfect 
for the year's most haunting holiday 

You have been elected to rid your kingdom of 
Calvi 


k, the most dreaded monster in the land, 


s awakened by the construction of the 
100 level dungeon he now inhabits. You've been 
given an eternally-armed crossbow to aid you 
on your quest. Use extreme caution as you 
wander through the dungeon, because it’s 
loaded with many other dangerous monsters 
and traps, Also, keep your eyes open for 
treasures, clues and keys. 

Demon Stalkers can be played with one or 
two players. Before you can begin game play, 


HEALTH 
SCORE 


12797 


2676 
4720 =<. 


tei 


HEALTH 
SCORE 


COMMODORE WORLD 


the manual suggests that, to prevent any 
damage to the master disk, you create a 
“scen 


rio” disk, which takes approximately a 
half hour to make. | felt that this was an 
detraction from the game bee; 
people, Iwantedtostart game play immediately 
upon opening the package. 

Once you've created the scenario disk, be sure 
to give yourself a nice chunk of time to play. 
Demon Stalkers is so much fun that it’s hard to 
tear yoursel fter all, there are 100 levels! 
If you manage to make your way through all of 
them, aconstruction kitisincluded allowing you 
to create all new mind boggling levels. 

Asyouenterthedungeon, youareimmediately 
greeted by a host of rats. The rats are the least 
dangerous of the many monsters. During your 
rch for Calvrak, you'll encountera variety of 
rats, snappers, dervishes, and ghosts. The 
darker the color of the monster, the more harm 
itcan cause youand yourhealth. Also, dervishes 
can rob you of your hard earned 
possessions. You need to discover the 
clues, keys, treasures, and magic spells 
scattered throughout each level to 
complete the game. Inordertoadvanc 
to the next level of the dungeon, you 
must survive the monsters, and/or 
solve the rooms puzzle, and then locate 
the exit steps leading down into the 
next floor ofthe dungeon. The monsters 
and puzzles become increasingly more 
difficult with each new level. 

The first time played Demon Stalkers, 
I made it to level 16, which consists of a 
series of paths filled with keys. 
Unfortunately, youcanonlyholdsomany 


or 


use like most 


st 


30 


keys. Once your pockets are filled, you can't pick 
up any more keys, and your path ultimately 
becomes blocked by them. The only ways to 
dispose ofthe keysare to unlock doors or runinto 
adervish who, unfortunately, willalso steal away 
your health. Needless to say, Lam still stuck on 
level 16. 

The game screen looks much like every other 
role playingadventure game. The playingscreen 
consists ofa maze filled with monsters, treasures, 
etc., and occupies most of the top of the screen, 
The bottom part of the screen is your status 
indicator. Look here to see how much health you 
have left, the number of keys, points, armor, and 
other treasures you May possess. 

The game is fully equipped with a save and 
restore feature. You should become a pro at 
using these commands, because unless you're an 
expert game player or have a lot of free time on 
your hands, the only way to finish Demon 
Ikers is by regularly saving the game. 

One feature | didn’t like in the game is the 
fact that after completion of every fifth level 
you are asked a question. The answer can only 
befound on the “wheel” supplied with the game, 
I think for copy prot 
question per g; 

Demon Stalkers does not have out-of-this- 
world graphics oran extraordinary soundtrack. 
In fact, there is very little music in the game at 
all. But you will instantly love this game for the 
multitude of challenges awaiting you on each 
level and the constant variety of interesting 


tion purposes one 


ne would suffice. 


monsters. Be careful, you may never see the 
light of day again! 


-Sherry Freedline 


Issue 12 


Alcon 
Taito 


Available from ? 


Many of my all-time favorite Commodore 
games are among those produced by Taito. 
Who can forget the experience of playing 
Arkanoid, Arkanoid II, or even Bubble Bobble? 
What special quality do these games possess 


that makes them so immensely enjoyable, even 
after owning them for so many years? 
Personally, I thinkitis the challenge these games 
provide, well as their amazingly bright, 
colorful graphics and unique soundtracks that 
keeps me and many others coming back again 
and again. All of the Taito games I have played 
todate feature many levels of difficulty, making 
them very hard to outgrow or master. 

Alcon is one Taito game I never had the 
opportunity to play. Since I have played other 
games from Taito, my expectations for Alcon 
were understandably quite high. And, just as | 


expected, Alcon did not disappoint me. 

Alconis Taito’s venture into the land of space 
games. Alcon’s game play whisks you ahead to 
the year 2059 to the planets Theon and Orae, In 
the year 2055, humans were forced to exile to 
Theon due to 
planet Orac, Since this time, aliens have had 
total control of Orac and have been keeping 
some human hostages. Now, four years later, 
it's high time someone did something to end 
this alien reign and free the human hostage: 
thus, the Allied League of Cosmic Nations 
(ALCON) was formed. 

The ALCON has elected you, Major Astor, to 
fly theirmost advanced starfighter, the SW475, 
The starfighter is capable of possessing a 
selection of seven different weapons/protection 
devices to aid you in your mission to liberate 
Orac: speed, shots, side (shoot from the side), 


an alien invasion of their home 


January 1996 


ILA ALN 


wing (enlarge wings & firing 
range), bomb, laser, homing 
missiles, and shields, 

The first thing | noticed is 
how the Alcon game screen 
scrolls from top to bottom, 
unlike the normal left to right 
scrolling common in most 
games. The game screen 
consists of your SW475 
starfighter flying up your 
screen over various space-type 
landscapes. Of course, you'll 
frequently meet up with a 
variety of alien ships. The 
second thing | noticed was the 
challenging game play Aleon 
presents. Unfortunately, | 
found this game to be very difficult right from 
the start. I'm embarrassed to admit that it took 


me three attempts before I was able to knock off 


the first two aliens of the game, An explanation 
arrassmentand maybe 


here will reduce my em| 
prevent you from making the same mistakes | 
did. The first two aliens fly right at you, one on 
citherside. Ifyou concentrate on shooting both 
aliens, one of them will nail you with their 
incredible aim (they have homing missiles) | 
finally managed to get past them by dodging 
their missiles and flying to the right of the alien 
on the right side of my screen, Once | managed 
to get by these first two aliens, the game got a 
little easier, The next alien does not have a 
companion and is easily destroyed. The game 
continues in this manner, 

Initially, the game furnishes you with three 


$W475 starfighters, You are awarded 
additional starfighter after obtaining 50,000 
points. Then, additional starfighters are 
awarded after every 70,000 points. Your 
starfighter does not come equipped with 


31 


enhanced weapons and protections devices; 
these valuable items must be earned by 
destroying aliens, The death of certain species 
of aliens results in the award of a yellow star. 
You must fly over the star to collect the w 
or device it represents, The weapon/devi 
then activated by pressing the spacebar, 
However, use caution in using these aids. For 
instance, the wing function augments the width 
of your ship and its firing range. This can be 


pon 


is 


good as well as bad since it also gives your 
opponent a larger target. 

Alcon is indeed one of the most challenging 
space games I have played to date. 
Unfortunately, if your are an easily frustrated 
game player, Alcon is not for you. It takes a 
great deal of patience to master this game, but 
patience pays off, The stimulating graphics 
make this game a great diversion from everyday 
stress. I would like to know if anyone has 
discovered any cheat codes or has made it 
through to the end of this truly awes 

Sherry Fre 


COMMODORE WORLD 


Introduc’ 
Reputation is one of the only 
things | can think of which is acquired 
easily, but not lost quickly, | have 
personally found this to be true, Asan 
online Commodore resource, people 
think of me as someone who knows 
what I'm talking about. Boy, have [ 
fooled them! Butseriously, peopleask 


me about very technical issues 
concerning Commodore computers, 


and for some inexplicable reason, 1 


come up with (somewhat) correct 
technical information in responses. 
Howit happens, Ihave ABSOLUTELY 
no idea, Maybe it's all in my name... 

CMD is another group I think | must have 
fooled. Case in point: They sent me one of their 
CMD FD-2000 and asked me to do a technical 
review of it, claiming that they “appreciate my 
honesty and technical prowess.” So, one of the 
drives arrives at my house, and my reputation 
dictates that | review it on technical merit. So 
here goes. 


Physical Appearance 

The CMD FD-2000 comes in four pieces. The 
purchase will yield 1 disk drive, 1 Commodore 
serial cable, 1 small 9 volt wall power supply, 
and one disk of utility programs. The cableand 
power supply are pretty ordinary, 
is distinet 


but the drive 
from other drives for the 
Commodore. The entire unit is painted black, 
which creates a striking appearance for the unit. 
(Personally, [happentolike black asa technology 
¢ color, but that’s another story.) The drive 
appears to be a standard Teac 3.5" microfloppy 


COMMODORE WORLD 


drivemechanism, andisthe traditional IBM clone 
beige color. The front panel contains 1 swi 
Ds in addition to the custom 
manufacturer logo and drive model number. The 
LEDsarelabeled “Power”, “Activity” 
‘Turning the unit around, we see the back of the 
unit is pretty simplistic as well. Two serial bus 
connectors are provide connector forthe 
power supply and a power switeh, 

The drive can be plugged into the serial bus 
chain of devices at any point, although I would 
suggest locating it towards the beginning of the 
chain. Anyone who has ever plugged in a serial 
device will find connecting the drive a bree: 
CMD uses standard connectors for the 
hookups. The drive was up and operational in a 


and “Error”, 


matter of minute iting my grueling tests, 
Also supplied is a manual, which covers all of 
the features of the FD-2000, how to use the 
supplied utility disk, and how to use the FD drive 
with GEOS. Even though as a man, it is against 
my principles to read amanual, itis very clearand 


32 


well-written, presenting all of the 
commands available and what each 
does, Since the drive emulates the 
Commodore DOS functions very well, 
users will be able to get things going 
quickly, Still, one should read the parts 
of the manual detailing formatting and 
partitions, asthesearenewideastomany 
Commodore users. 


Features and Operation 

The CMD FD-2000 disk drive packs a 
lot of stuff into a pretty small case. 
Below are just some of the features the 
FD-2000 sports. The unit can do the 
following: 


Format 800 KB 1581 style disks 

Emulate the standard Commodore DOS. 
Commands, except BACKUP (found on 
early IEEE drives) 

Work with GEOS and CP/M 

Format 1,6 MB high density (HD) disks 
and utilize them with the CBM computer 
Logically “split” disks into multiple 1541, 
1571, and/or 1581 p 
Logically organize partitions into 
subdirectories 

Allow time and date stamping of files with 
the Real Time Clock (RTC) option 
Support burst commands on the C128 
Automatically provides speed 
enhancement when used with Jiffy-DOS. 
enhanced computers 


titions 


One feature that bears special mention is the 
GEOS compatibility. Without any special 


Issue 12 


drivers, the FD drive will work with GEOS as a 
1581 drive. GEOS can also take advantage of 1.6 
MB disks by formatting them as two 1581 
partitions. When used with GateWay, the 
replacement for G DeskTop, the user can 
use and abuse native 1.6MB disks in the FD. 
Since GEOS enjoys much popularity, the ED's 
GEOS compatibility is a welcome sight. 

Since the test computer has JiffyDOS installed, 
the computer and drive could communicate at 
JilyDOS speeds, since the FD series of drives 
comes pre-installed with JiffyDOS. My first test 
involved a 1581 formatted disk. loaded dataand 
programs, performed utility chores like copying 
scratching files, renaming files, and initializing 
the disk. The only differences in operation from 
my 1581 were much faster access (my 1581 is not 
JiflyDOS equipped), and some operations done 
within the drive itself, like appending file, were 
also faster. This bodes well for the unit, as it did 
almost everything my 1581 does, only more 
quickly, The one thing this drive didn’t do that 
my 1581 doesis corrupt disks. [havea 1581 with 
the Western Digital 1770 drive controller IC, 
which Commodore offered a replacement for 
many years ago. So, in this respect, what the 
FD-2000 didn't do was welcome, 

‘Thenext test involved high density floppy disks. 
Igrabbeda spare blank disk (Ithappened to bean 
AOL disk that came in the mail that day) and 
formatted it on the drive in the usual way. [then 
loaded a directory and saw that only 3160 blocks 
were available. This bothered me, as I could 
format that much space in a 1581. So, before 
wrapping the unit back up and marking it as 
non-functional, | looked in the user's manual 
entry for formatting and found that in order to 
format a fresh HD floppy for maximum space, 


Rear view of the CMD FD-2000. 


January 1996 


you must specify a “,HDN” 


after thedriveID. So with book TABLE 1 
in hand, I followed the Command Type Deserition 
instructionsandthedrivewent Format Extension (format) after ID in regular (N)ew: 


through its format process 
once more, After the drive 
stopped, lasked foradirectory 


and found 6336 blocks New 
available for use. nay 

With the newly formatted 
New 


HD floppy, Iproceededtowork 
my way through the standard 


New 
DOS operations. | saved files, New 
loaded thembackin, performed 
a save-with-replace, scratched New 
some files, copied a few files New 
around on disk, and then New 
verified a file, All operations New 
performedasexpected,withno New 


surprises or mishaps, and all 
operations were completed 

somewhat faster than the same operations on a 
1581. Formatting still takes the most time, as I 
suppose it should. 

After the standard DOS commands were 
, [tackled the CMD specific extensions. 
I'm told these commands are similar or identical 
to those used on other CMD devices, so not 
everyone will think these are as new as I do. For 
those who don’t know, some of the most used 
ones are listed in Table 1. 

All of those commands functioned as 
describedin the owner'smanual, providing easy 
access to all of the extension and additions in 
the FD drive. Some of the commands, like G-P 
and C-P, have a version for direct mode usage 
2, making 
even easier. 


exerci 


and a version for program us: 
are softw 
The subdirectory 


development of FD. 


commands are what 
really make the FD 
drive shine. Before, 
Commodore users had 
to group files 
separate disks or live 
withall theirfilesin one 
directory. Now, with 
the MD/CD/RD 
commands, users can 


on 


organize files more 


effectively on the same 
disk. To explain, say a 


group all f1* files into 
one place, all the £2" 
intoanother place, and 


33 


Drive Number Extension 


Directory Extension 


command dictates format density & 
partitioning options 

Partitions can be numbered. (LOAD 
“2:JIM",8 loads from partition 2) 

R-H command allows changing 
directory header name 

G-P command retums info on specified 
partition 

C-P command changes partitions 

$=P views partitions, $=T views time 
R-P renames partition/drive name. 

MD command creates CMD style 
subdirectories. 

CD moves between CMD style 
Subdirectories 

RD removes a CMD subdirectory 
Locks (or unlocks) a file 

T-RA reads date and time from optional 
‘on-board clock, 

T-WA writes new date & time into clock 


all the f3* files yet another place. On the FD, the 
user couldcreatethreesubdirectories (dirfl, dirt’, 
dirf3), and place each of the files into the 
associated directory, like so: 

dirfl: 11 
fl2 
13 
f21 
(22 
£23 
131 
(32 
£33 


dirf2: 


dirf3: 


When the user requests a directory listing of 
the disk, all he/she sees is the directory names. 
sting 
will show the files in that directory. The files are 
all on the same disk, just more organized. 
Directories can be nested and can be named just 
like regular files, 

Since drive may have more than one partition, 
theFDallowspartitionstobenamedandrenamed, 
artition name is NOT thesame as the 
top level directory name returned when a user 


Afiera CD commands issued, a director 


However, 


does a directory listing of that partition. This will 
confuse some, so it is best to try these commands 
and view the results. Also, the same applies to 
subdirectories, Thename ofa subdirectory asseen 


from a parent directory does NOT have to be the 
same as the name displayed at the top of the 
directory listing when inside that directory. 

C128 users will be happy to know that one can 
autoboot with the FD drive, and GEOS users can 
do soas well, although a special program must be 
used to make GEOS autoboot disks. 


COMMODORE WORLD 


Toincrease the usefulness of the FD with those 
programs which will only recognize drive #8 or 
drive #9, CMD has provided a SWAP button on 
the front of the case. Hitting this button once will 
temporarily change the unit's device number to 
8. Hitting the button twice changes it to 9, while 
hitting it 3 times will change it to the default 
device number. This operation can also be done via 
software with the“S-8",“S-9" and"S-D" commands. 

One of the first things that users who purchase 
the RTC option for the FD should do is set the 
clock. Setting and recalling the time and date is 
sily accomplished from BASIC and can be done 
in PETSCI, BINARY, or BCD, Time and date 
stamping of files is useful to help track dates of 
the last update on files, as well as which files are 
the newest revisions. Also, RTC users who have 
GEOS should take the time to install the supplied 
files on the utility disk that will automatically set 
GEOS' clock with the clock in the FD, 


Compatibility 

One cannot talk about a third-party Commodore 
peripheral without at le: mentioning 
compatibility issues. And so itiswith the FD-2000, 
Bynow, most peopleknow that Commodore drives 
all have their own CPU and memory map—a drive 
computer system. Over the years, programmers 
and others have taken advantage of that extra CPU 
and RAM in the drives to realize fast load routines 
or implement copy-protection schemes, among 
other things. When 1541 clones were prevalent, a 
successful clone needed to duplicate not only the 
physical drive characteristics, but also the computer 
system inside the drive. Commodore's 1581 wasa 
different story, as fewer software titles were released 
for the 3.5" disk format, and very few titles used 


any of the features of the internal drive computer 
system. The 1581 was and is mostly used asa data 
storage drive. So, 1581 compatibility can be viewed 


in two different ways. 

If one views compatibility as the complete 
duplication of the 1581, the FD-2000 fails, as the 
internaldri lydifferent. 
If, on the other hand, one views 1581 compatibility 
as duplicating the 1581 disk format and layout, the 
FD-2000 shines. In practice, one has to take both 
issues into account. For people who want to use the 
FD-2000 as a data storage unit, the FD-2000 will 
work admirably. For others with copy-protected 
1581 software, speed enhancement software, or 
non-JiflyDOS hardware based speed enhancement 
systems, the f'D-2000 will have problems. 

Asthe FD literature states, the drive can also 
emulate 1541 and 1571 disk formats, called 
emulation partitions, but note that this implies 
only the disk format and layout will be 
emulated. Running copy-protected software 


ecomputersystemisradi 


COMMODORE WORLD 


out of a 1541 or 1571 partition is an iffy 
proposition. In addition, attempting to use 
any 1541 or 1571 undocumented ROM 
routines will most likely fai 

One possible compatibility 
ofthe FD-2000 involves programs that attempt 
to “discover” the drive typ 
some such programs that were developed prior 
ntroduction of the FD, the “discovery” 
code might fail if the code relies on 
undocumented ROM routines or special 
ROM/RAM locationsin the disk drive memory. 


sue with all uses 


nd 


acity. For 


to the 


Internal 
As is customary with any product I receive, 1 
don't give my seal of approval until I see how the 
unit is put together. I place great importance on 
this aspect of a product. I've seen many 
Commodore products over the years that were 


flashy on the outside but a mess on the inside. | 
amhappytoreport thatthe CMDunitis 
well-constructed. The case is 
stamped from 


standard gauge sheet metal, and is covered with 
what looks like a baked-on, black finish. 

I took the FD apart for an internal look the 
fter my initial tests. The printed circuit 
rd is cleanly laid out, with standoffs to 
tain from the and 
appropriate masking and screening applied 
(r 
sprayed on boards, and the screen is the white 
lettering and outlining. Screening is 
. but masking protects against 
shortsand errant electrical behavior.) I noticed 
only a single hand-wired trace on the board, 
which appears to ground out an unused 
oscillator pin. The almost non-existence of 
rework on the board indicates a well- 
thought-out design, which means fewer 
problems for the end user. 


ma distance 


ca 


se 


asking is that green non-conductive stuff 


34 


Asforl/O,all connectorsare securely mounted, 
which will come as good news to those who 
regularly plugandunplugtheirsystems. TheSWAP 
button on the frontis securely mounted theboard, 
and protrudes through the case to rest against the 
back of the front bezel decal work. The 
mounted in front of cut-outsin the case, and show 
through “windows” in the decal. 

While inside the case, I noticed a cutout on the 
rear ofthe case which couldaccommodatea DB-25 
connector or similar. Possibly included for future 
expansion needs or to adapt the drive case for 
other uses, the holeis covered by the decal workon 
the rear. Also, it is apparent that the controller 
board used in the FD-2000 is also used to control 


are 


The circut 
board; 
inside the 
FD-2000. 


theout-of-production FD-4000drive 
from CMD. There is a spot on the controller 
board for a different drive controller IC and some 
extra jumpers on the board itself, 

Since this unit was equipped with the Real 
Time Clock option, a Dallas Semiconductor 
RTC module was installed in the ROM socket. 
For units without the RTC option, that module 
will be missing. The implementation of the RTC 
modulemakesaddingan RTC option toa FD-2000 
unit a snap, and directions are printed in the 
manual for this purpose, 

For the programmer, CMD has included 
information on the FD memory map, the 
of the drive tracks and sectors, the important 
functionsand memory locationsin the FD ROMs, 
and other technical information. Such openness 
is characteristic of CMD and should be useful to 
any programmer needing in-depth knowledge of 
the CMD drive. 


Issues 
As you might have already guessed, | am very 
impressed with the FD-2000, CMD has produced 


Issue 12 


a fine piece of hardware, and packed it full of 
features. When I started looking at the drive, I 
was expecting a unit that would format 1581 
per-1581” disk, with twice the 
ity. | was not expecting 1541/1571 
partitions, Native mode subdirectory support,and 
SWAP button, Of course, I expected JifyDOS 
support, which is included as well. Nonetheless, 
have the following concerns and requests: 

I'm confused by the ability to name a 
partition/subdirectory from one place, and 
then assign a different name to that same 
partition/subdirectory in another place. | 
was expecting to change the name of the 


partition and see the change reflected in a 
top-level directory listin ich is not the 
case. For partitions, this is not a huge 
problem, since few will request partition 
listings, but the ability to giv 
two different names just adds unneeded 
complexity to the already foreign construct 
of subdirectories. | suggest either not 
renaming commands (the initial creation of 
a partition or subdirectory assigns the same 
name to both places), or making very sure 
that the names are in syne with each other, 

‘The SWAP command/button takes control of 
theserial busand issues commands to other drives 
to perform its tri ‘xample: if the FD is device 
10, and the user hits the SWAP button, the FD 
changes any device 8 on the serial bus to device 10, 
and then changes itself to device 8.) Users with 
more compatible drives will see no problem, I'm 
sure, but | wonder about less Commodore 
compatibledrives(IndusGT, MSDSD-LandSD-2, 
etc). Will the SWAP command work with them on. 
the serial bus? 


asubdirectory 


Drive Speed on C-64 


(or C-128 in 64 mode) 
operation 


LOAD 


154 block PRG 


SAVE 


154 block PRG 


READ 


125 block SEQ 


WRITE 


125 block SEQ 


January 1996 


IfCMDeverupgrades the DOS forthe FD series, 
I would like to see an option to format and utilize 
MS-DOS disks. | know Big Blue Reader and other 
utilities exist to read and write such disks, but 


nothing can compare to using MS-DOS disks with 


native Commodore DOS commands. 

For users who opt to install the RTC option 
after initial purchase, be aware that, as part of 
installation, the drive mechanism must be 
here isn’t any problem with that, but 


removed, 


bee: 
of aluminum, and ily, rendering 
installation much harder.) Since CMD has made 
it possible for users to do the installation 
themselves, a switch to a screw that is more 
forgivingtotypicalusertools would bebeneficial. 

Through no fault of CMD, some BASIC 7.0 
disk commands in the Commodore 128 work less 
than ideally with the partition concept of the FD. 
Evidently, BASIC 7.0 will only accept drive 0 and 
Lascorrect choices fordrivecommands, meaning 
thatissuing COLLECT, D2,U10will NOT validate 


1841 1871 
1581 FD-2000 
FD-2000 w/JiffyDOS 


time (seconds) operation 


LOAD 


154 block PRG 


SAVE 
154 block PRG 


READ 


125 block SEQ 


WRITE 
125 block SEQ 


thesecond partition on device 10, C128 users will 
need to re-acquaint themselves with the BASIC 
2.0 equivalents of the BASIC 7.0 disk commands. 
to get around such limi 

Even as well written as the manual is, it will 


ations. 


probably intimidate some users. There are just so 
many features to describe! Thankfully, CMD 
supplies a utility disk that takes most of the work 
out of using the drives. 


Conclusion 

The CMD FD-2000 realizes the promise of a 
disk drive that betters the venerable 1581. 
The ability to format High Density disks, 
with GEOS, segregate disks into 1541/ 
71/81 partitions, provide faster operation, 
and maintain the correct timeand datemake 
it immensely useful for the serious 


wo 


Commodore user. As for programmers, the 
rich set ofcommands, myriad of options, and 
overall stability ofthe drive makes supporting 
it in programs a rather easy task. 

However, thedriveisnotutop 


. Thedrive 
will best fit software developers, users who 
have the need for more removable storage 
capacity, and those searching for a better 
alternative to the out-of-production 1581. My 
only hesitation comes from the physical 
limitations of the FD drive. Its 1.6 MB capacity is 
only so much, and users needing more and not 


needing the ability to transport files should 
probably look into a CMD HD series hard drive 
instead. Of course, the FD makes backups of an 
HD easier, so the above caution may have no 
bearing. But hey, what do / know: 


- Jim Brian 


9) 


Drive Speed on C-128 


(in 128 mode only) 
time (seconds) 


COMMODORE WORLD 


IN REVIEW 


Three titles that may ease your entry to the Internet 


The Complete Idiot’s Guide to the Internet 
The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Unix 
Everybody’s Guide to the Internet 


The Complete Idiot’s Guide to the 
Internet 
Second Edition, by Peter Kent, © 1994 Alpha Books 


(367 Pages, $19.95) 


The Complete Idiot’s Guide to 
Unix 

by John McMullen, © 1994 Alpha Books (375 Pages, 
$19.99) 


I really hate being called an idiot, but I hate 
feeling like one even more. After discovering that 
some on-ramps to the Internet are different from 
others, | found myself needing to learn about 
accessing the Internet via a UNIX shell account. | 
felt the need to finda few sources of information. 

After a brief hesitation due to the titles of The 
Complete Idiot's Guide” books, I finally decided 
to read a couple to see if they could offer me 
guidance. The books aren't written totally from 
the IBM-PC users perspective, which make them 
suitable for my use, since I'm using my 
Commodore 128 to access the Internet. A 
Windows disk is included in the Guide to the 
Internet book, which | promptly removed and 
reformatted foruse with my FD drive. Both books 
include a tear-out reference card, but the only 
one I've actually torn out to use was from the 
Internet guide. The booksand the reference cards 
area bright orange with dark blue in color, which 
make them extremely easy to find even in the 
most cluttered situations. 

Both books use clear examples and a good 
dose of humor to get the information across. 


The Internet guide assumes some working 
knowledge of how to load a term program and 


COMMODORE WORLD 


how to dial out, but makes very little in the way 
of assumptions about which type (there are a 
few) of Internet on-ramp you're using, whether 
it's dial-in to a UNIX system, a menu driven 
system, or for PC users, a direct connection. 
‘The UNIX guide at times makes the assumption 
that you are using UNIX on a system which is 
available to you locally, such as your place of 
work. It spends a chapter or two on printing 
files, something you wouldn't need for use 
when using a UNIX shell account to access the 
Internet, but aside from this, most of the book 
discusses commands which are usable by those 
of us who are accessing a UNIX system with a 
remote computer, such as when I use my 
Commodore to access the Internet. As well, 
the Internet guide devotes a chapter or two on 
Windows, but luckily it didn’t devote the entire 
book to the subject, and the majority of it deals 
with things the average Commodore user will 
find of use. 

In each book, each chapter ends with “The 
Least You Need To Know”, summing up the 
chapter as alist ofinformation, which can be a 
very quick way to skim through the book. If 
there are other methods which can be used, 
this information is included. Four different 
types of “additional” information are given in 
various places ofthe bookin the margins. These 
are highlighted in grey, with a different type of 
caricature graphic to go with it. One type 
explains phrases and shows a geeky looking 
character I call the “Geek Speak” guy, another 
has an older fellow who gives background 
information (the book actually says you can 
skip this fodder unless you're interested). A 


36 


scared looking kid ata computer gives help for 
when things go wrong, and an intelligent 
looking woman gives notes and tips to make 
things 5 
The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Internet 
has subjects such as: “Your First Trip to the 
Internet”, “Menus and Shells, Oh My!”, and “A 
Unix Survival Guide” and then gets to more 
detailed subjects such as EMail, Newsgroups, 
FTPing, World Wide Web, Archie, Veron 
and WAISs. It includes a list of “Things to Do, 
Places to Visit”, as well as the complete archive 
of “Speak Like a Geek”. The index is accurate, 
something that I've come to depend on to quickly 
find information which isn’t included on the 
reference card, such as the correct syntax to use 
when uuencoding a file. 

The Complete Idiot's Guide to UNIX takes 
the time to explain why UNIX is the way it is, 
and then explains why this information can be 
useful to the average user, Written with wit, it 
covers the basics and then deals with tips and 
tricks, using text editors, and mastering some 
of the mysteries, such as how to get the system 
to do more than one thing at a time. Most of 
the information in it is suitable for those who 
must use UNIX toaccess the Internet, including 
ways to make it easier and customized for 
personal use by changing specific files. It also 
has a chapter devoted to E-Mail and another 
devoted strictly to the Internet, but overall 1 
found most chapters had something useful to 
remote users such as myself. | found the book 
to be quite beneficial. 


- Gaelyne R. Moranee 


Issue 12 


Everybody’s Guide to the Internet 
hy Adam Gaffin, ©1994 Electronic Frontier 
Foundation, published by The MIT Press, Cambridge, 
MA and London, England (211 Pages, $14.95) 


Noteverything good must comeinalarge, brightly 
colored package. “Everybody's Guide to the 
Internet” isa relatively small book, slightly larger 
than a 5x7 photo in size, but packed with useful 
Internet related items, and is written by someone 
who has definitely had experience with the various 
Internet software, such as the different types of 
mail readers. 

Itbegins with information about computers, 
modems and terminal programs, most of which 
can be skimmed over since it covers only MS- 
DOS and MAC computers. Some of the 
information, such as the suggestion to use VT- 
100 emulation is useful if we simply forget the 
type of computer being discussed. The rest of 
the book covers E-Mail, Newsgroups, Mailing 


Lists, Telnet, FTPing, Gophers, WWW, 
advanced E-Mail, then spends time explaining 
what MUDs and IRC’s are (with the comment 
that they're more fun than they sound). It also 
gives listings of commands, and e 
given from a practical point of view. 

The book includes two appendices, one 
explaining the terms used, and another with 
information about joining the Electronic 
Frontier Foundation, finishing with and avery 
comprehensive nine page index. While not a 
flashy or bold as “The Complete Idiot's Guide 
to the Internet”, it offers very straightforward 
information. While it’s not quite as humorous, 
it does have it’s moments, such as when the 
difference is explained between ELM and Pine, 
which are UNIX programs used to read and 
reply to mail with, the book covers both 
subjects individ d refers to the latter as 
“an 
barely mentioned 


ples are 


en better 
‘The Complete Idiot's 


Guide to the Internet” but are given 
comprehensive coverage in “Everybody's Guide 
to the Internet”, including a list of the basic 
commands for both E 
the pros and cons of each. 

Other Internet/UNIX software is given the 
same treatment, making this book a very useful 
reference. It may seem odd than an electronic 
version of the book is readily available, but there 
isa distinct difference between having a text file 
and havinga book you 
computer. The frequently updated electronic 
version of this book is available via anonymous 
FTP to ftp.eff.org, in the pub/Net_info/ 
Guidebooks/EFF_Net_Guide/netguide.eff 
(please note, this is case sensitive) directory, or 
you can send an Email message to info@eff.org. 
EFF's Guide to 


-M and Pine, as well as 


referto 


yy from the 


The electronic version is entitled " 
the Internet”. 
- Gaelyne R. Moranec 


Mastering the DON’T DO IT Key 


by, Jin Bucttorfiold 


The RETURN key is sometimes called the ENTER 
key; sometimes I call it the DO-IT key. That's 
because every time I press it, the computer does 
something, But I'd also like to tell you about 
another important key: the DON’T-DO-IT key. 

This key is not documented in any 
Commodore manual, but everybody knows 
aboutit. Everybody, thatis, except YOU.. 
well-known that nobody thought to tell YOU 
about it, 

The DON'T-DO-IT key (I'll tell you where to 
find it ina moment) does the reverse of the do- 
it RETURN key: it causes the cursor to leave the 
lineit’s working on without doing anything else. 
The cursor just hops to the next line. 

Many of us enjoy doing nothing. But why 


would you want the computer to do nothing? 


There are two basic reasons: you might have 
muddled up a line you're typing; or you might 
just be doodling on the screen, Either way, you 
don’t want the computer to try to do whatever 
you have just typed. 

Let me give you a 
use the screen to type a message. Perhaps the 
message is DON’T TOUCH THIS UNTIL YOU 
HAVE CLEANED YOUR ROOM, or BACK IN 
10 MINUTES, or even FEED THE CAT. If you 
typed such a message and then pressed 
RETURN, the computer would respond 


example: you want to 


January 1996 


saying it doesn’t know how to feed the cat. 
You could rename your cat SYNTAX ERROR, 
but that’s just avoiding the problem, Best to 
type the message, and then press the Don’t- 
Do-It key; the computer will know that you 
don't really want it to feed the cat, and move 
along to the next line. 


37 


I'd better tell you how to find that key before 
you get too impatient: it's Shift-RETURN, That 
is, hold down the shift key and press RETURN 
and your computer will move the cursor to the 
next line without trying to do anything else. By 
the way, ifyou ever touch those “other” machines 
(PCs, Amigas, and the like) the equivalent key 
combination there is CNTRL-X. But let's stay 
with our neat little 8-bit Commodore jobs, where 

ETURN is the way to do nothing. 


s Shift- 


The other s ion where Don't-do-it, 
Shifted-RETURN, — is useful—almost 
indispensable—is when you're typing in a 
program line and somehow mess it up. The 
most common way to mess up alineis to get into 
“programmed-cursor” mode. That's sometimes 
called “quotes mode”, because one way of getting 
stuck there is when you're typing stuff in 
quotations. When you try to move the cursor 
around, it won't go: id, you get those 
peculiar reversed ch; hey are wonderful 
when you want them, but horrible when you 
don ouhavea wrecked line, RETURN would 
put it in your program, but Shift-RETURN 
abandonsit on the screen and lets you try again. 


5 


COMMODORE WORLD 


Graphic Interpretation 


In the last issue, we started writing our program. 
Here is the rest of that program listing. 


400 @quit 
410 c 
420 


(That was easy. Whena geoBASIC program ends, 
the deskTop is automatically reloaded and run.) 


500 @colChoice 
510 DBS 
number 


RN"Enter color 
(9-15) ",c$ 


(I don't have to use the dialog box editor for this 
one; the DBSTRN command automatically 
creates one in order to accept user input and 
places the text string inside.) 


> 15 


520 IF VAL(c THEN 510 


(Thisisstandard stuffin BASIC, trapping possible 
erroneous input.) 


530 S 


TCOL VAL(c$) 


(We are actually setting the background color 
here. We'll draw our colored rectangle using that 
color. The foreground color, which we would use 
ifwewanted a framearoundourrectangle, would 
require some additional math. As it is, the 
foreground color will remain black, which we set 
it for back in line 320.) 


540 RETURN 
600 @pattChoice 
610 DBSTRN"Enter pattern 


COMMODORE WORLD 


by Steve Vander Arh 


(@-33)",p$ 
4 VAL (pS) 


700 @drawRect 
710 DBSTRN"<C>olored or 
<P>atterned rectangle?*,r$ 


720 IF rS= THEN 740 
730 IF x: 770 
4 GOTO 710 


75@ COLRECT 20, 35,22 


(The color used for COLRECT is the background 
color we set with the SETCOL command.) 


760 ‘ 
71 RECT 20,12,35,22 
(The pattern used for RECT will be whichever one 
was set with the PATT command.) 
780 RETURN 
800 @drawLine 


38 


PART 3 


820 RETURN 
900 @ 
910 WINDOW @,50,100,100 


(We're opening a new text window here. If we 
wanted to get fancy, we could use RND to place 
the text randomly around the screen, but fornow 
we'll just use the same spot each time.) 


101@ DIALOG 


"clrD",A 


(The dialog box editor has pre-defined buttons 
which return certainnumbers when clicked. We'll 
test fora “YES” button, which will returna 3, and 
other wise assume the answer was “NO.”) 


1020 IF A=3 THEN 1040 
1030 RETURN 
104@ SETCOL 15 


(You never know what the color may have been 
changed to, but we want a filled rectangle using 
the background color, light gray.) 


RECT @, 25,319,199 
1060 RN 

1100 bout 

111@ DBSTRN"Program by Steve 
Vander Ark. any key 
‘return'", AS 


1050 


Press 
and press 


(could have defined a nice dialog box to display 
my name, but this will work too.) 


Issue 12 


RN 


So just what does this program do? Nothing 
particularly useful. But it does demonstrate 
some of the basic techniques you will use when 
you write a geoBASIC program. There are 
plenty ofcommands I haven't even mentioned, 
including ones for sound and disk access. With 
alittleimaginationand some time trying things 
out, you could easily create very exciting GEOS 
programs this way. 


GEOS Dreams... 
Most of the programs I've written over the years 
with BASIC have been simple games and the like. 
1 enjoy the challenge of writing programs and 
wish I had more time to spen 


don't consider myself a programmer at a 


especially when I start ng to people lik 
Maurice Randalland Doug Cotton. Onearea that 
I would like to explore more in depth is disk 
access using geoBASIC. I have a feeling, though, 
that I'll never get to it. 

There are plenty of folks out there, however, 
who have put in the time and know the tricks 


nd 
shortcuts forusinggeoBASIC. lused to correspond 
with a few of them on QLink; people who had 
written truly powerful, exciting programs. I have 
since lost track of them, I'm afraid. I would really 
like to get a hold ofa few more of these experts, so 
if you're one of them, why don't you share some of 
your expertise with the rest ofus? | would be happy 
toinclude geoBASIC tricks and tipsin this column. 
Please contact me; you'll find addresses in the box 
at the end of this column, 


write, let me offer 
ideas that I've had over the years for programs 
that I think would be perfect for the GEOS 
environment, Give them some thought. I'm sure 
some of them are outside of the scope of 
geoBASIC, but what the heck, I'll toss them out 
for you to consider anyway. And if you've got 
some great program ideas of your own you'd like 


to suggest to the experts out there, why not send 
them tome for this column? Meanwhile, here are 
a few ideas of mine: 


Mul 
This is a natural for 
interface is made for this kind of thing, and the 


imedia Authoring Tool 
he point and click 


Commodore computer is capable of all kinds of 


multimedia output. This program would allow 
even a novice user to put together a multimedia 
presentation with clickable buttons on full-color 
graphic screens and all manner of music, sounds, 
and even animation tied in, The authoring tool 


January 1996 


itself could use a metaphor similar to HyperCard 
forthe Mac, wherethevariouselementsarestitched 
togetherall withthemouseandavariety ofattribute 
dialog boxes, The program should be able to 
incorporateSTD musicfiles, RAW digitized sounds. 
and voices, sprites, high-resolution and medium- 


resolution screens, and animation files such as 
those created by Album Animator. How would 
this be used? I'd use it in my classroom, letting the 
kids create displays about their science topic, for 
example, Some people might use this to crea 


te 
store window displays or informative 
presentations, A lot of people, myself included, 


would just have fun playing around with it, 


Web Browser 
Yeah, right. I know, browsing the World Wide 
Web takes a lot more speed than your average 
Commodore can handle. Those detailed 
graphics take a while to come in even on my 
Pentiumat 14.4 baud! What can anyone hope to 
do with a Commodore? The answer to that 
question is absurdly simple. You just browse! 
Maybe you won’ Il the pretty pictures, but 
that doesn’t mean you'll miss everything. As a 
matter of f 
images off when I roam the web using Netscape 
on my PC. They may look nice, but at the slow 
rate them come creeping onto my screen, I'm 
not so much browsing as stagnating. Hey, if I'm 
not going to be looking at the pictures anyway, 
why can’t use my Commodore? Surely it could 
interpret HTML, the programming language of 
the World Wide Web, and display a formatted 
text page. Then with GEOS we could point and 
click our way around. In other words, we could 
use “browse” as it’s real meaning! 

Tknow it isn’t quite that simple. I realize that 


, I've recently been turning the 


there are seads of little obstacles to overcome 
before a Commodore running GEOS accesses 
the Web in anything other than put text mode, 
But I also know that the Web is becoming a 
major form of communication, growing larger 
and more exciting every day. !don't want GEOS 
and the Commodore to be left behind, 


Some Really Cool Games 

Now, I do love geoTiles and other strategy 
games for GEOS. I love to pop up a game of 
blackjack every now and then. But I'm talking 
about other kinds of games here. Where 
the graphic adventures like the Bard's Tale 
series? Where are the war games and the flight 
simulators? And speaking of simulations, 
where is the GEOS version of SimCity? Any of 
these types of games could work under GEOS. 
We need more games like Cluster Wars along 
with our Tetris and Solitaire. 


0 


39 


Connections 
This isn’t one program; it's more of an idea, 
really, but one which will translate into many 


different programs, I'd like to see connec 
in GEOS for 
ROM drivesand scanners, These types of devices 


II sorts of devices, including CD- 


are becoming the norm in computing these days, 
and the Commodore should take advantage of 
them. Here's an example: I use a small, hand- 
held computer called a Newton in my classroom, 
Thave to trot on down the hall to the library to 
hook it up to a desktop computer in order to 


store information or load new programs onto 
my Newton, But there is absolutely no reason 
why this Newton couldn't communicate with 
my Commodore instead, storing dataina geoFile 
database, for example. 


hat Newton would 
4, 


become quite a nifty peripheral for my 
wouldn't you say? 


And So On., 
Thereare alw ing ideas coming 
along in computing. Bill Gates and Company 
would have you believe that theway to computer 
happiness is through ever bigger and more 
powerful desktop machines. Many of the new 
computer users these days are buying their first 
machines on which to run multimedia software 
for the kids. The Internet is now referred to by 
commentators as a full blown craze in this 
country. All of this new high-powered, high- 
tech stuff is great, and I would love to see the 
GEOS user tap into some of it. After all, you 
don't need new equipment every six months to 
beinnovativeandon top of things, youjust need 
software that takes you places and let's you 
connect. | see GE s having that potential. 

Maybeall those big ideas won't come through 
geoBASIC. But if you've got ideas and a 
hankering to get started with programming, 
geoBASIC isn'ta bad place to start. Who knows 
where it might take you? 


new andexcit 


%) 


's for Steve Van 


E-Mail on the Internet at: 
stevevark @ aol.com. 


You may also send letters to: 
Steve Vander Ark 

6730 Brad Ave SE 

Grand Rapids, Michigan, 49548. 


COMMODORE WORLD 


The SysOp's Corner 


By Max Cottrell 


KY, 


SO YOU WANT TO RUN A BBS? 


Submitted For Your Approval 
Many ofyou Commodore users out there realize 
that with the rightideas and set up, youcan have 
a successful business based on a Commodore 
64, But other people are so used to the IBM and 
Macintosh platforms that they forget about the 
smaller, older ones. When they are confronted 
ith theexistence of them, they are momentari 
amazed; jolted out of their mundan 
overproductive high speed programs to a 
supposed bygone era of small, inexpensive, yet 
useful computers. 

So it has been with me. | am the owner and 
operator of a small online newspaper/support 
BBSin Ypsilanti, Michigan called “The Ypsilanti 
Community Information Service” (YCIS). My 
BBS/newspaper has been featured on the front 
page of the local newspaper and in five other 
articles, including an editorial about the system. 
I've been interviewed twice by a local radio 
station, and the Freenet which is starting in this, 
area has asked me to help design the systemand 
do graphies for them. 

Running my BBS takesa lot oftimeand energy, 
butit has also taught mea lot about running my 
photography company. | learned some 
important lessons along the way, which is the 
basis of this column. I'll touch on some subjects 
here and then expand on them in future issues. 


Publicity 

When you start to set up your system, you will 
want to keep in mind that the most important 
thing to decide is what the theme of your system 
will be. Publicity goes hand in hand with that, 
The careful planning you do when setting up 
will mean little if you have no attention in the 
media. | suggest looking around your 
community; read the local paper and see if you 
can pick out what the interests are in your area. 
Is it community events, sports, debates, or 


COMMODORE WORLD 


political disassociation? I doubt if you need to 
make a decision right away, so take your time. 
Dual themes are okay if you can do it. My focus 
islocal news (with the help of city hall... moreon 
that another time), and support for my 
photography company. 


Menu Design 

Here's where the software that you choose comes 
into play. I did several weeks worth of research 
before | settled on the software I currently use 
called “Does The Job”. Most will allow you to 
create whatever you want in the way of menu 


design. Color 64 will do it for you automatically, 
Omni 128 (which requires a 128 to run), needs 
to have menus created before you can start 

Does The Job has no real menu system, but 
allows you to create whatever kind of menu you 
want. [ have found that after the 1,000-plus 
log-ons | had since starting the YCIS, that 
menus are where it’s at. What is ‘it’ 
interface. That is what 
your system. The files may be the personality of 
a BBS, but the menusare the face that the public 
sees. Too many colors, too much writing, 
difficulty in getting tothe menu willadd a feel of 
‘klunkiness’ to your BBS. When I design a menu, 


menuis. Itis the face of 


40 


Istart simple. No ANSI colors, no wacky or cute 
entries, just a screen clear and the selections. 
Then 1 log onto the system and see what it 
looks like from as many platforms as possible. 
lalways log on with my C64 and my IBM to see 
what it looks and performs like online. Then 
wait for feedback. Let that decide where you go 
from there. 


Naming the System 

Here is where publicity, advertising, and the 
theme come into play. The online newspaper | 
run is community based, so | named the BBS 
“Phe Ypsilanti Community Information Service’, 
If the theme were chess for example, I might 
have named it ‘Chess City USA’. Your 
imagination is the driving force. 

I can’t stress enough the importance of two 
things: First, make surethat thenameyou choose 
is not already taken by another business, and 
second, make it something you like and can live 
with, and which is descriptive of the system you 
are running. But let me add a twist here, What if 
you decide to change the theme if it turns out 
that nobody is interested in what you are 
offering? (It might not happen, but be prepared.) 
Don't make your title too narrow; I suggest 
making the name generic, Here in Southeastern 
Michigan, w S ke “HAL9000", 


ve BBS nam 
and “Motor City BBS”, These systems can all 
change themes without changing the name. 


Advertising 

Put your system everywhere you can; on other 
BBSs, in classified ads, door to door flyers, 
telephone poles, computer stores, andin the all- 
important press release. These are the least 
expensive avenues you can take. Start cheaply 
and see what happens. Continue if it generates 
interest, or try something else if it doesn't, and 
see what happens next. I was able to get over 40 


Issue 12 


new users by posting a flyer in a local computer 
store, which had an area where you can put 
flyers oradvertisements. Advertising takes time 
togenerate the interest that will get users online, 
so don't be disappointed if you get users who 
don'tcall back. Asalways, patience and feedback 
from the users is the key, as is cost. 


Press Releases 
Go toa book store or the library and finda book 
on starting a small business. Look at the press 
release examples. Copy them. Make your BBS 
sound like it is the greatest thing since peanut 
butter! Ham it up and write it in a friendly 
manner, Show it around and ask your friends 
what they think. Then send it to every media 
outlet that deals with small news item 
Sending it to CNN makes little sense, but 
sendingit to the local radio station makes 
all kinds of sense! Post it on other BBSs, 
sendittonewspapers, and sendittostores 
that might be interested in getting 
involved. This is free advertising. If you 
do it right, you might be on the front 
page! 


Modems 

Ah, here is my favorite subject. What 
good isa car without an engine? A bicycle 
without a chain? A BBS without a good 
modem? I think you see the connection. 
However, this can get expensive very 
quickly. You don’t want to start out at 
300 baud, and there is probably no need 
to have 28,800 baud either. Most systems still 
use 14,400. Error correction, speed matching, 
compression, and DTR detection all are 
important. 

Recently, 1 switched from a Aprotek 2400 
minimodem to two different stateofthe art 14.4 
modems in one week. | started out with a US 
Robotics Courier, and had some error correction 
problems with it, so I switched to an off brand 
modem that works better. Remember that you 
will want to choose one that is designed with 
running a BBS in mind. 

All modems have an auto answer feature, but 
many do not offer the ability to automatically 
change speeds, autotrain, compress data, and 
detect what kind of modemis calling. When you 
call GEnie or whatever online service you use, 
the modemat the otherendwillask your modem 
what speed itis, what error correction it is, ifit 
compresses data, if it is synchronous, 
asynchronous, autoasynchronous, error 
correction asynchronous, uses MNP, LAPN, 
V.42, V.32, V.21, and a ton of other questions 
that are important to modems. You have to 


January 1996 


keep in mind that when you are the answering 
party, you are expected to be able to accept 
signals from just about any modem. This is 
especially true if you are using a speed greater 
than 2400 baud. The faster the speed, the more 
things that the signal requires to stay ‘clean’, 
Thave found that letting the modem do it all 
is the easiest way. I set mine so that it willask the 
calling modem what is going on and what it 
wants to do. [ suggest one that will us 


as many 
protocolsas possible. My current modem usesa 
few kinds of error correction, and other features 


that are needed these days. This has proven to 
bea problem for my users, and generatesa lot of 
calls to my customer support line, Don't be 


afraid to ask for advice from other BBS owners. 


When I call a BBS, I always ask what kind of 
modem that they are using. This has really 
helped in my selection of modems. Ask other 
Commodore BBS owners what they use. Some 
BBS software programs don't support some 
jad that I got mineupandrunning 
with the Aprotek before I started messing around 
with faster speeds. This gave me a chance to get 
the BBS running well before I gave myself the 
stress of wondering if users were having 


modems. I'm, 


problems getting online. 


Openness of the System 

What kind of users are you trying to attract? Will 
ases or require real names? Do you 
ing list? Are you planning on 
in, relating this to 
‘ounts. [havea 


you allow al 
want to keep am 
charging for an account? Ag; 
my 


tem, I have two levels of 


guest account that everyone is welcome to u 


and then | have actual accounts that my users. 


use for E-mailing each other and to have a name 
attached tothearticles that they upload. I require 
an account be held to do uploads, so this works 
out well for me. But it might not for you. 


41 


Some systems allow the users to choose their 
own password, and some assign them for you. 
Will you force the user to give their real name? If 
not, they can start trouble on your BBS by doing 
ng something illegal or immoral. There 
won't be any way to stop them because even if 


or say 


you kill their account, they can just get a new 
one under a different name, The software that 
use has a swear checker that will dump the user 
offline ifthey use words that I don’t want on my 
system. All of this is up to you, the owner of the 
BBS. Remember, you have control over what 


users do online and what they have access to, 


Hours Online 

This oneis easy: 24 hours. If you don't, it doesn’t 
matter how great or wonderful the system 
is. You will find that there will be no users 
who will schedule their online times 
around your schedule. This has been 
proven time and time again, 


Beta Testing 
Have friends (whowill give youan honest 
opinion about what your system looks. 
like to them) call your BBS several times 
aweek. As you get more and more menus 
and files set up, more and more glitches 
and bugs will creep into the system. You 
will be better off having a friendly voice 
tell you that something is wrong than a 
irate customer (if you charge a fee to get 
online). This will also allow you to find 
out if the system is easy to use. Since you 
are so close to the subject, you might think that 
it’s easy to use, but your users might find it 
difficult or confusing. A good beta tester is nice 
toha 
That's about it for this time, but I will expand. 
on each of these subjects in future columns, 
Now, for a BBS kind of idea. My system is user 
driven, What the users want, | try to do. So, 
E-mail me at mephoto@sojourn.com or 
me.photo@genie.geis.com with your ideas and 


(a 


comments about what kind of BBS related 
subjectsyouwouldliketo see here, 1 
with a lot of other SYSOPs on other 
and we frequently match wits to solve problems 
that we all share. Do you have questions? Feel 
free to ask. I might not have all the answers, but 
I can point you in the right direction. If there is 
amistake to make, | have made it; from erasing 
all the rooms on the system to forgetting to turn 
on the modem. These kinds of things WILL 
happen when you run a BBS. Expect to learn a 
lot, work a lot, and get a lot of attention when 


econtact 


ystems, 


you run a BBS. 


COMMODORE WORLD 


Carrier Detect 


By Gaelyne R. Moranec 


DOWNLOADING MADE SIMPLE 


The Case of the 

Invisible Shrink-Wrap 

You've downloaded the latest and greatest from 
your favorite BBS but now that you have it, how 
do you get the program to run? Have you ever 
seen funny looki 


ng messages that seem like they, 
might ha file in them, but you didn’t know 
how to change these from text back into program 
form? For some reason, the idea of “codes” 
reminds me of Sherlock Holmes, grappling with 
mysteries to solve, So, let's go on an adventure 


Vea 


and find out about what to do with files once 
we've downloaded them, 


The Shrink-Wrap 

Mastering the mysteries of downloaded files is a matter of following the 
clues to find out where to peel the edge of the shrink-wrap it comes 
packaged in. Cool Commodore stuff that you find online doesn’t come in 
plastic shrink wrap of course, but you'll often find that it does come 
ged in one way or another, Many program files you'll find when 
‘Sing or checking out the online services arein archived format. Archiving 
accomplishes the same thing as if the programmer had created a shrink- 
wrap package for the software, since he or she will usually include all the 
things you'll need to use the program such as supporting files and the 
instructions, so you'll know wh: it. 

Most archival programs will perform a bit of magic and let you fit more 
into the package than you'd normally beablet ledcompression, 
When youdownload thesoftw ou'll need tounpackit from its packaging 
by using a program to “dissolve” the archive, Luckily, many of the newer 
you'll find online come in environmentally friendly ‘SelF-dissolving’ 
ages. These are usually called SDA (SelF Dissolving Archives) or SEX’s 
SelF eXtracting) files. This type of archive is easy for the end user because 
you simply make sure you havea blank disk (or more) handy, then run the 
file with the SDA or .SFX suffix. 

Files ending with “SDA” don't give you much ofa choice as to what disk 
drive you want to use, asit will only dissolve to device #8. When you run the 
SDA, you will get a prompt to insert a blank disk and to pressany key when 
ready. The disk you use doesn't have to be blank, but it does need to have 


to do with it once you ha 


COMMODORE WORLD 


42 


enough space to hold the archived files on it. 
There are some SDA files that can be dissolved in 
128 mode, but most I've run into have to be 
dissolved in 64 mode, 

When youloadand run SFX files, y 
a pleasant surprise— these sometimes display 
text ora graphic which ma 
for the program, or a BBS, Some programmers 
use this screen to tell the user how to load or use 
the software. It always pays to read this before 
proceeding with dissolving thefile. Aftershowing 
this screen (ifthere is one), you will be prompted 
for the drive number (0, 1 ora partition number 
for CMD devices) and then for which device 
number (8, 9...) that you want to use when dissolving the files. Sometimes 
youneed alittle more to dissolve a file, as some archived files require you to 
usea utility program to dissolve their files. These archives have endings like 
«ARC, .LD IP, ARK, and .LZH. 

One utility worth mentioningis the OMEGAQeII program from the now 
defunct Q-Link. This is a program which lets you do a lot of things, such 
as read text files, copy fil id even dissolve many of the different 
archive types (ARC, ARK, SDA, and .LNX to name a few), and lets you 
use more than one disk drive too. It’s an easy to use menu program and 
if you belong to a user group which had a Q-Link account, chances are 
OMEGAQ-I will be in the club library. 

A program called ZIPUNZIP takes a whole Commodore 1541 disk side 
and compresses it into four files which are named A!IDISKNAME: 
DIDISKNAME. For this, you'll need a blank disk. The utility program 
you'll need is ZIPUNZIP.SDA. 

Files which end with ARC, .LZH and Zip may have been created on 
another platform computer. I say “may”, because we have utilities which 
can createand dissolve most of these type archives. There are two different 
ARC files, both of which can be created on the Commodore. Of these, one 
is strictly Commodore and the other is an MS-DOS style. The name ARC 
is the same, but the method of compression is very different, and the 
software you use to dissolve it depends on which type it was made with. Its 
not hard to figure out which program you need to dissolve it, however, as 
if one doesn't work, you'll know to try the other. 


oumay have 


bean advertisement 


Issue 12 


ARC250.4 is the C64 utility (it’s really a small operating system) which 
is used to create Commodore style .ARC files. You can find it as 
ARC250,SDA, ARC250 has been called many things, but it’s never been 
called “user friendly”. You don’t have to use this program to dissolve 
-ARC files though, as you can use other utilities such as the above 
mentioned OMEGAQL, or depending on the size of the ARC file you 
could use a program called ARC-SDA2.SDA to turn the ARC into a SelP 
dissolving file. 

TheC64 doesn’thave thenichein creating ARC files, as both Commodore 
and MS-DOSstyle ARCs can be created (and dissolved) using C128 software. 
Chris Smeets created an operating system for the 128 and named it after 
himself (if! wrote one, I'd name it after myself, too). CS-DOS is sometimes 
thought of as a utility to create or dissolve archives such as .ARC, .LZH, 
.SFX, but really it’san operating system witha lot of utilities, a few of which 
have to do with archiving files. CS-DOS has had many “add-on” utilities for 
it come out over the years. Look for CS-DOS15.ARC and be sure to pick up 
any supplementary files like CS-ASSTI.SFX, CS-As 
LHARC128.ARC, or CSXTRA4S.LZH. 

CSXO1.SDA is a stand alone 
program for both the C64 and 128 
which was also written by Chris 
Smeets. It allows you to dissolve MS- 
DOS style ARC's from either the 64 
or 128. 

You may evenrun into Commodore 
files which have been Zipped using 


PKZip 1.x - and there are two utilities 
which you can use to unZip These files. 
The C64 utility is UNZIP101,SDA, and 


the 128 utility is NZP12817.SFX. These 
programs will only dissolve Zip files 
which were created using PKZip 
version 1.x, not the later v2.04g 
version, 


CBM To GEOS and Back 

Again 

Sometimes after you've dissolved a file, you may find you still need to do 
more with it before you can make use of it, especially if it's a GEOS file. 
GEOS uses its own file structure which means they have to be converted 
to Commodore format before they can be shared via modem. 

When you download a GEOS file, it will often have a file extension of 
.CVT, which is a reminder that you need to convert it back to GEOS 
format before it can be of any use to you, Her example of a 
Catch-22: the program you need to convert the file: application 
so after you've downloaded it, it too needs to be put back into GEOS 
format again, Luckily, it’s not all that bad, as some (not all) versions of 
Convert are capable of converting themselves, These programs are run 
first from BASIC, and then you load GEOS to use them, Two such versions 
are CONVERT.SDA and CON25DA.ARC. 


The File’s in the Mail 
It's easy to send a disk to someone through the regular postal mail, but 
how do you go about sending someone a program (or other file that’s not 


January 1996 


43 


text) through Internet E-mail? What do you do ifsomeone sends youatile 
in E-mail or you find one in the message conferences that you read? And 
what do they look like anyway? 


U-U-WHAT?! 

Uuencoding a file means changing it from an 8bit binary file toa 7bit ASCII 
file. The ASCII ile is text, and can be put into a message. It looks like code 
because that's what it is—and the process of converting it back (decoding 
it) into a binary file is called uudecoding. It sounds like a horrible and 
difficult process, (that's what I thought when I first heard of it; it sounded 
too mysterious to be easy) butit’s not really that hard once you know what 
to do with them. This what a uuencoded file looks like: 


Changing this back to 
its original form can be 
done with a 64 utilit 
called uuxfer 
(uuxfer.sfx). This 
program also lets you 
create uuencodes, It’s a 
very easy program to 

it asks which you 
wanttodo, uuencodeor 


use; 


uudecode, then doesthe 
work for you. You can 
also use ACE, an 


which has utilities to 


cr and decode 
through ACE14) i 

Registered QWKRR128 users can decode uuencodes they receive in 
their mail by exporting the message. Ifa uuencode file is detected, the 
prompted if they want to decode the file and given the option to 
nge the file name. Multiple uuencodes in a message can be decoded 
age then importitintoa “reply”, Select <Worite 
and then <d> for decode and the first file is decoded, Next, change the 


too, First, export the me 


word “begin” on the first uuencode in the message and <Worite the 
message to disk again, this time the second uuencode is decoded. If there 
are any other uuencoded files in the message, continue this process until 
you've decoded them all. Ifyou use the ACE operating system or uuxfer 
all uuencoded files get decoded automatically, 

Sometimes a large uuencode car up many messages, When this 


happens, you'll need to combine the messages into one text file, then 
put the code back together again so there are no breaks between the 
lines of cod decode the file, use either uuxfer or the utilities in ACE 
ACE can seema little disconcerting if you've never used it, but it's very 
simple to use for uuencoding or uudecoding files. The command to 


COMMODORE WORLD 


uuencode a file is: 


srogral 


The “>” key ensures that the uuencode ends up in the text file, otherwise 
it will end up “writing” the uuencode only to the screen. To uudecode 
files, the ACE 


ommand is: 


rudecc 


Ifyou're using a UNIX system, you can uudecode and uuencode files w! 
online. The commands are very similar to ACE. To uudecode a file, the 
command is: 


uudecode tex sname 
Uuencoding requires that you give THREE names altogether: what the 
name is NOW, what you want the name of the file to be after it’s 
decoded, plus the name you want the uuencoded file to be called. If 
wanted to uuencode a program called “program.prg”, the command 
would look like: 


uuencode 


progra’ program 


When done, the uuencode text is in the file “program.uue”. 


BCODE 

Beode is another utility of the ACE operating system. 
Commodore method of encoding 8bit files into 7bit ASCII s 
uuecode, but in some ways it's a little easier to undecode these files, as 


they do not need to be in any specific order, and they don’t have to be 
“put back together again”, like long uuencoded files require. The only 
drawback is that because beode isn’t available to other platform users, 
the file 
in AC 


can only be shared between Commodore users. The command 


to create a beoded file is: 


beode program.nar 


To unbcode a file, the instruction is: 


unbcode filename 


Beoded files look like: 


After The Shrink-Wrap is Off 
Once you've got the shrink-wrap off, the 


re still a few things that can go 


wrong. A few that I've experienced seem tr 
Thad problems loading and running new files. To save you from the same 
mistakes, I'll share a few of my better blunders. 

When I bought my first C128, I'd been modeming with my 64 for 


several years, and thought I knew all the ropes when it comes to 


jal now, but they weren't when 


COMMODORE WORLD 


downloading files and getting new programs to run for me, Well, the 
C128 had a few new tricks to teach me about files! Since the 128 can 
function in either 40 or 80 column modes, the first time | loaded an 80 
column program while in 40 column mode, I had no indication that the 
program had loaded correctly, and I certainly couldn't SEE any changes. 
New and maybe even experienced C128 users should remember to take 
note of which mode the program is to be run in, Sometimes this info is in 
the filename, such as the number “80" o1 somewhere in the name, 
other times it may be in the program description. I've also been known to 
absent-mindedly try to load a C64 program while the computer is in 128 
mode, and if I've done it, I'm sure I can’t be the only one! 


Wrap Up 
Once you've managed to dissolve an archive or uudecode a file you've 
received, don’t forget to read any documentation that comes with it, 
Some programs won't begin unless you send a SYS command to start it, 
which was a problem I ran into recently. Another program may require 
that you have other files on the disk along with it. Now that the shrink- 
wrap mystery has been solved, you can solve many more mysteries by 
reading the docs you find after peeling back the shrink-wrap. 

%) 


Cw & RUN BACK ISSUES 


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Commodore World. Don't let this valuable information slip 
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Issue 12 


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COMMODORE WORLD 


Be) 


GET IN LINE 


PROGRANIST 


dy Maurice Randall 


Let's begin this time by taking a look at one of the routines which is built 
into the GEOS Kernal, The routine is known as DoInlineReturn. While 
developing a prog y handy and use it quite often. 

The purpose of this routine is to provide 
subroutine call. Normally, a simple RTS will do this. But the beauty of this 
routine is that you can use the calling routine to supply parameters to the 
subroutine which immediately follows the JSR to the subroutine. The 
ameters don’t have to be placed in a specific location, they merely get 
an find the parameters because 


mn, you might find it v 


method for returning from a 


1 ‘inline’ to your code. The subroutine ¢: 
there is an address located on the stack that helps the subroutine find them. 
When the subroutine is finished, it will call DolnlineReturn so that your 
program may continue as though an RTS was encountered, The program 
counter will wind up at the first instruction following the parameters, 

DoInlineReturn merely increments the program counter by the correct 
amount, How does it know how to do this? Your subroutine must pass a 
couple of parameters to it also. An example makes it all look easy: 


jhere's a segment of the calling routine. 
jsr iShowDiskError 
.byte “Write Protect 0n",B 


jcode continues on here. 
jand this is the subroutine that gets called. 


iShowDiskError: 
PopW returnfddress 
LoadW r11,#168 
LoadB rlH,#50 
ldy #1 
sty stringCounter 
10S 
Ida (returnfddress),y 
beq 80s 
Jjsr PutChar 
inc stringCounter 
Idy stringCounter 
bne 10$ 
80S 
ing 
tya 
php 
Jmp DotntineReturn 
stringCounter: 
.block 1 


Here's what this example does: the subroutine displays a text string on the 
screen 100 pixels from the left and 50 pixels down from the top. Notice that 


COMMODORE WORLD 


46 


it begins by loading r11 and r1H with those values. The Kernal routine 
PutChar will use this asa starting point for the first character to be shown. 
PutChar will automatically increment the horizontal location for us so that 
each subsequent character will be properly displayed. We could call 
PutString for this operation, except we need to keep track of how long the 
text string is. When we encounter the zero byte at the end of the string, we 
know how long the string is by the value in y. 

Thesubroutine’sfirstjob wasto pullatwobyte value off the stack. Thisisthe 
return address that the processor would normally use if we ended the routine 
withanRTS. We'lluseitinsteadand placeitinalocation called returnAddress', 
Thislocationisdefined by GEOS andisin zero page. DolnlineReturnwill make 
use ofthis when called. Ourroutinecanalsotakeadvantage ofitsinceit 
page location. No other routine will disturb it. Just be sure not to call another 
inline routine from your own inline routine, The GEOS Kernal has several of 
them. If you need to use one of them, use the non-inline version instead. For 
instance, use MoveDatainstead ofi_MoveData. The GEOSinline routines will 
use returnAddress and mess your routine up good. 

DolnlineReturn expects the accumulator to hold the number of bytes 
that needs to be incremented, plus one. In our example, notice that y gets 
incremented near the end. This value will be used along with the address in 
returnAdadress to get the program counter where it belongs. Also, we must 
perform a PHP, because DolnlineReturn will doa PLP so that the processor 
flags may be passed back to the calling routine. 

Think of other waysyou could use inline routines. GEOS uses them to pass 
values into various registers. Ifyou do something like this often, it could save 
you a few bytes here and there. The calling routine only needs to supply the 
values and the subroutine can load them into the appropriate registers. 


Filling With Nothing 
Can you fill something with nothing? It doesn’t make sense, does it? 
Remember this when you use the routine called FillRam. You can’t use 
m to fillan area ofram with zero bytes. There seems to be ofsome sort 
of bug that will cause problems. Always call this routine to fill with a value 
an zero. If you need to fill an area with zeros, use ClearRam instead, 
ther routine, first load r0 with the number of by 
Then load r1 with the starting address of the desired area, For 
ClearRam, that’s all that is needed, just For FillRam, 
we need to load r2L with the value that we want placed in each of these 
bytes. Just don't putazero into r2L. Ifyou do, you will have some debugging 
to do and you might not catch the fault for awhile. 


's you wish to 


Il the routine now 


Catching Our Own Faults 

I make programming mistakes just like everyone else. It's relieving when | 
find where | made my mistakes, Debugging a program sometimes involves 
discovering where certain things just won'twork, asin the case with FillRam, 
but most often, it is our own mistakes that cost us time and trouble. If you 
suspect a bug in your program, find it now before proceeding any further, or 
makea note ofit and fix it as soon as possible. With some bugs, you have no 
choice but to fix them right away, especially if the program won't run at all. 


Issue 12 


Here’san example ofa mistake I made; I'm working ona program that can 
load in external programs. The main program has a jump table at the 
beginning. This gives an external program access to many of the routines 
contained in themain program. Inorderto passalongthisinformation to the 
external programs, I create an equate file that is included in the programs, 

Here's how part of the jump table might look: 


StartOfdumpTable: 
Jmp Colordn 
dmp Coloroft 
Jmp FilURam 
Jmp iFillURam 
Jmp MoveUData 
jmp iMoveUData 
jmp SetTo64k 
Jmp ColorUp 
jmp FillBytes 
jmp ColorRectangle 

jeeete 


Now, the portion of the equate file would look like this: 


StartOfuumpTable=$2000 
ColorOn=StartOfdumpTable+3 
ColorOff=ColorOn+3 
FiURam=ColorOtt+5 
FINURam=FillURam+s 
MoveUData=iFillURam3 
iMoveUData=MoveUData+3 
SetTo64K=iMoveUData+3 
ColorUp=SetTo64k+3 
FIBytes=ColorUp+s 
ColorRectangle=FillBytes+3 


T-can easily relocate the jump table and only need to change the value of 
StartOffumpTable in the equate file. Or, while I'm still developing the 
program and haven't yet finalized it, I can easily insert or delete entries from 
the jump table. If put in the actual addresses for each location, it would be 
tedious to change all the entries that followed where I made the change. 

Now, study the equates again and see if you can find where | made a 
mistake. Notice how the location for MoveVData is defined? | mistyped it 
and left out the'+' sign. MoveVData is now defined to be located at the same 
address as iFillVRam3. But there is no such address as iFillVE 
GeoAssembler doesn’t flag thisas an errorbecauseonly the first 8c 
ofthesymbolare valid. In otherwords, as faras GeoAssembleris concerned, 
iFillVRa exists and so MoveVData, or MoveVDat will be considered to be 
at the same location, Because of this mistake, every entry in the jump table 
following MoveVData is also pointing to the wrong location. 

Most mistakes in programming are simple typing errors like that. When 
you're working ona large project with many routines and symbol values, it's 
also easy to duplicate labels; maybe not in their entirety, but perhaps within 
the first 8 characters. Being able to use more than 8 characters helps us 
remember what a routine is used for, but it also makesit easier to end up with 
duplications in the first 8 characters. Watch out for that one, A program that 
ends up being twice as large as another probably requires 4 times the 
development time. This is largely due to debugging time that must be spent 
could be avoided with some careful thougl 


ters, 


to correct simple errors tha 


January 1996 47 


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COMMODORE WORLD 


BASIC 


INSTING 


Ifyou've been following the last couple issu 
may have noticed that BASIC programs 
speed oftheirmachinelanguage counterparts. Last 
time we conceded that sometimes we must 
incorporate machine language in our BASIC 
programs toachieve desired speed. In thisissuewe 
finish with an overlooked method for achi 
greater speed: clever programming. 


Shuffling Cards 
Let's define a deck of cards. 


Instincts, we code: 


100 OF ¢ 
ARDS *** 
110 CS="A23456789TIOK" 


120 
130 


Now we have a deck of ordered cards inside a 
BASICarray. The question is, “How do we shuflle 
the deck?” At first thought, we code: 


200 REM *** 


NE *** 


210 


SHUFFLE METHOD O 


FOR 


D(1)) 
RANDOM CARD 
(A) :REM NOW 


NOTHER 
TS=DK 


$ (A) =DKS (B) 


$(B)=T 


Inmethod one, we randomly select two cardsand 
swap them. We repeat this process several time 
Inthedemo program, you'll find that thismethod 
is slow and does a poor job, Since method one 
leaves something to be desired, let's try the 
following clever method: 


300 REM *** 


SHUFFLE METHOD T 


310 FOR I=@ TO 51 


COMMODORE WORLD 


350 : 
360 NI 


Notice how we only step through the deck of cards 
once, yet we completely shuffle the deck. Not only 
did we speed up the shutflle, weimproved it! Study 
method two; if you plan on programming for 
games, you will use it often. 


Sorting 

Let's say for some reason we wished to sort a list 
of numbers in descending order. Assuming we 
hada list of numbers in an array ACN) where N is 
the length of the list, some manuals recommend: 


To me, a bubble sort seems silly. A more natural 
method would be: 


FOR J=I+1 TO N-1 
(J)<A(LV) THEN LV 


48 


CLEVER SPEED 


By Gene Barker 


Aselection sortis similar to how we might sort our 
cheeks: Find the check with the lowest check 
number, and set ita side. Then find the check with 
the next lowest number, and set it side. Repeat 
until you havea sorted pileofchecks. Thissort makes 
more sense and is faster than that evil bubble sort. 

There are several techniques for sorting; many 
which are faster than the ones mentioned, But the 
above sorts serve as good examples of how clever 
programmingcan speed upyour BASIC programs. 


Conclusion 

Often times the speed we gain with clever 
techniquesisall weneedtoachieveadequatespeed 
inourprograms. However, therewill betimeswhen 
you have no option but to incorporate machine 
language intoyour programs. This will especially be 
the case with sequential file access and graphics 
programming. But don't fret. You have the master 
himself, Commodore World's Jim Butterfield to 
teach you how in each issue. | can’t recommend a 
betterway togetyourfeet wetin machinelanguage. 


Notes 

Asyou type in this issue's program, take it one 
section at a time. Try to get a general idea of 
what the section is trying to accomplish. See if 
you can follow how the section is using its 
variables. If you see an unfamiliar BASIC 
statement, take a look at it in your BASIC 
manual. If you are still confused, move on to 
the next section; often times the next section 
helps explain the previous one. Above all, don't 
forget to BACKUP your work frequently, Also, 
before entering this issue's program, load and 
run the CHK-LIST utility (located elsewhere in 
this issue). CHK-LIST insures that you enter the 
program correctly the first time, Also, remember 
to SAVE the program before you attempt to RUN 
it. It never hurts to be safe, And finally... 


Gene’s Last BASIC Instincts 

That's right, this is my last column for Basie 
Instincts. But don’t worry; we have an excellent 
replacement who can give thiscolumn the time it 
deserves. I'd like to welcome David Pankhurst to 
our team. You will find David to be an excellent 
road guide on your Commodore BASIC journey. 
Asforme, I'llbeconcentratingon special projects 
which will appear every few issues or so. 


Issue 12 


CLEVER.BAS 


CLEVER.BAS (coul,) 


5 rem setup menu 


230 
sht 
235 


methods” 

24@ print"(CRSR DN}{2 CRSR RT)[_] exit p 
rogram" 

250 rem- 

255 rem get users key press 

260 rem- 

265 get x$:if x$="" then 265 

270 if x$="(F1)" then 1000:rem £1 check 
275 if x$="{F3)" then 200@:rem £3 check 
280 if x$<>"_" then 265 

285 end 

1900 rem-------- ----------- 

1005 rem compare le methods 

1010 rem------~- Ptcapielstaterd -- 
1015 print" (CLEAR/HOME) (CRSR DN}{CRSR RT 
}{RVS_ ON) comp, shuffle methods" 

1020 if c$="a23456789tjkq" then 1100 
1025 rem *** create deck of cards *** 
1030 : 789tikq" 


1210 


1215 


1235 
1240 
1245 
1250 
key) 
1255 


1260 goto 100 
1300 


1305 


January 1996 


SR RT}{RVS ON)clever gs 


rem------ 
rem commodore world magazine 

rem basic instincts w/gene barke: 
rem clever speed demo 

rem 

rem 


(c)1995 crea 


ive mi 


rem- 


rem- 
poke 53280, 1l:rem se 
poke 53281,@:rem se 


gray borde 
black screen 
print" (CLEAR/HOME) {LGRN}{CRSR DN) (CR 


eed demo" 
print"{CRSR DN) (CRSR RT)(f1] 
le method 
print"{CRSR RT}[£3] compare sorting 


compare 


CRSR RT)shuffl 


: tS=dk$(a) 

+ Ak$ (a) =dk (b) 
dk$ (b) =t$ 

next i 

gosub 1490 


DN} (CR, 


tm=ti 


for i=@ to 51 
beint (52*rnd(1)) 
tS=dk$ ( 
ak$ (i) =dk$ (b) 
ak$ (b) =t$ 

next i 

gosub 1490 

print"(CRSR DN}{CRSR RT} (press any 


get x$:if then 1 


rem *** init deck cards *** 
for i to 3 
for j=@ to 12 


di 


49 


time (seco 


“:print 


1445 :; print 

1450 next i 

1455 return 

2000 - 
2005 xr 

2010 - -- 
2015 DN} {Cc 

}{RVS ON}compare sorting methods" 

2020 if n=25 then 2100 

2925 : rem *** create number list *** 


RT)bubble sor 
for i=l to n-1 
: df It(i)>le(i-1) then next i:goto 
telt{i-1) 
lt (i-1)=1t(i) 
3 1t(ijst 
2140 : isn-l:next i:goto 2115 
2145 gosub 2400 
2200 print"(CRSR DN) {Cc '}selection s 
ort..." 
2205 gosub 2306 
2210 tm=vi 
o@ to n-2 
j=i+l to n-1 
lte(j)<lt(lv) then lv=j 
1t(i) 
(i)=lt(1v) 
1t (1v)=t 
2400 
(CRSR DN) (CRSR RT) (press any 
2270 ge "* then 2270 


2275 goto 100 
2300 rem *** init li 


sl w/random # 


2305 for i=@ to n-1 
2310 : 1t(i)=int (100@*rnd(1)) 
2315 ti 


2320 o] 

2400 rem *** print sort results *** 
2405 tm=abs (int ((tm-ti)/100) ) 
2410 print"(5 CRSR RT}sort time 
) ="tm 

2415 return 


(seconds 


COMMODORE WORLD 


Peripheral Vision 


Mostusers know that devices that carry a number 
of 4 and greater are located on the serial bus. 
Typically, device 4 is the printer, device numbers 
5 through 7 are set aside for other printers or 
special devices, and devices numbered from 8 
andupare disk drives. These numbers for devices 
signed for convenience; the 
me. 


4 and above 
serial bus logic is thi 

We will look at devices below 4; specifically, 
device 0 (keyboard) and 3 (screen). The input 
stream connects by default to the keyboard and 
screen (GET looks to the keyboard, INPUT looks 
to the screen), and the output stream (PRINT) 
connects by default to the screen, But when we 
address the keyboard or screen as a device, the 
rules art to behave in 


are 


hange, and the devices 


new 

First, let's complete the picture by identifying 
the two missing numbers. Device 1 is the cassette 
pe; the interface is still there on all 8-bit 
Commodore machines, although customized 
ROM kernal packages often remove Datasette 
logic in favor of other features. Device 2 depends 
on the model of computer. The earliest 
Commodore computers (the PET, CBM8032 and 
similar units) assigned device 2 to a second 
cassette tape drive, From the VIC-20 onward 
device 2 has been used for the RS-232 interfi 


A Note on Files 

You open a file with the OPEN statement. This 
must contain at least two values: a logical file 
number, and the device number, Notice that 1 
used the word “values”; you don’t have to supply 
an actual number. It can be a variable or 
ical expression. 


mather 


‘The logical file number comes first. You pick 
this number: it can be any number from 1 to 127 
that’snotin use atthe moment. Afieryouhave set 
thisnumber inthe OPEN statement, it’sthe ONLY 


one you will use in subsequent GET#, INPUT#, 


COMMODORE WORLD 


By Jim Butterfield 


DEVICES 0 AND 3 


PRINTS, and CLOSE statements. (There may be 
anexception when you'reusing relative disk files). 
The device number comes second. In the 
context of this article, we're interested in device 
number 0 for the keyboard and 3 for the screen, 
but I'm sure you are aware of other popular 
numberssuchas 4 for printerand 8 for disk drive, 
There can be other information following the 
devicenumber:a secondary address, and perhaps 
a string. These don’t apply to devices 0 and 
The pointis that ifyou free your thinking from 
using numbers, you may discoveramazing things 
your programs can do. For ex 


mple, suppose the 
device number in the OPEN statement was a 
variableratherthananumber. The program could 
open whatever device it chose by setting that 
ble value. To be more specific, suppose that 
you havea program that might want to send data 
to the printer, or might want to send it to the 
sereen. Your code could look like this; 


TO PRINT THE 


50 


THEN P=4 
1 


Depending on what the user types, we would 
‘open our output path to the screen (3) or printer 
(4). Our data would be sent with PRINT#1 in 
either case. And a neat program will CLOSE 1 at 
the end, of course. By the way, the screen will 
ignore any secondary address you send, so ifyour 
printer requires secondary address 7 for text, you 
could change line 210 to OPEN 1,P,7 and all 
would be well. The logical file number could bea 
variable, too, so thata program could pick which 
logical file to send to. Suppose we've opened the 
screen and printer with the following code: 


100 OPEN 


110 OPEN 2,4 


Nowasourprogramrunswecan decided whether 
tosend selected data to the screen or the printer. 
The code, looping through aset of records, might 
run as follows: 


Iftherecord beinghandledshowsamonthof*MAY" 
the program will send it to the printer, otherwise, it 
will go to the screen, By the way, this is a great 
method forsplitting a fie into two or more smaller 
files (in which case, both logical devices would 
specify a write-to-disk file), But that’s getting away 
from our discussion of devices Oand 3. 


The Keyboard: Device 0 
You read characters from the keyboard buffer by 
using GET X$ (any string variable name may be 


Issue 12 


used in place of X$), In the same w 
open the keyboard asa device and get characters 
with GI 
hereisasmall difference, even with thesimple 
GET. As we discussed above, the use ofa logical 
file number would allow us to select input from 
the keyboard or some other device. Keep in mind 
that the keyboard returns CHR$(O)—or a null 
string in —when no character is waiting, 
which we discussed in the last column, For many 
plications, it’s safe to discard those unwanted 
characters. Thus, you could construct code that 
would receive input, character by character, from 
the keyboard or from some other device such asa 
disk file or RS: 


you can 


‘32 connection, 


Input From Device 0 

‘There's a noticeable change in style when you 
switch from the INPUT statement to INPUT# 
from device 0, the keyboard. It's a handy way to 
get rid of that annoying question mark that Basie 
always puts on the screen on your behalf. When 
you lose the question mark, youalso lose couple 
of other things: the “prompt”, and the movement 
toanew line after inputis received. These are not 
hard items to correct. Replace the prompt with a 
PRINT statement and give another PRINT after 
the input. You'll lose other things too, so run this 
example. 


100 OPEN 
11@ PF 
120 R 
TCOL 
130 INP 
140 T 
150 F 
160 CLOS 


1,0 
NT "YOUR NAME: 
NOTE 


The above program will show other aspects of 
receiving input through a logical file. No cursor! 
And her few things to try: press RETURN 
instead of supplying a name (you may need to 
press it twice), and move the cursor toa different 
part of the screen where there is text and then 
press RETURN, As a sidelight to just pressing 
RETURN, try inserting an ex 


Normally, pressing RETURN in response to 
INPUT leaves the input variable, N§, untouched, 
With INPUT#, you'll see that entering nothing, 
gels you... nothin, 

Despite the fact that we specified device 0, 
keyboard, a little experimentation will show you 
that the INPUT# command is in fact reading 
from the screen. INPUT# from device 0 has its 


January 1996 


uses, buty 
as loss of a cursor. There are kloodges to get 
around this, but it seldom turns out really well. 
Still, it’s an option. 


u can also see its disadvantages, such 


Output To Device 3, Screen 

‘This is the most popular combination, As our 
first example above shows, using PRINT# to 
device 3 sends the same data that would be sent 
by PRINT, or that would go to a data file or 
communications line. But there's a small 
y numbers are printed, Try 


difference in the wa 
the following code and see the difference on the 
three lines. 


1) 
120 4=300 
130 OPEN 1,3 


N 
PRINT#1, 
PRINT 


The first line of output a standard PRINT; the 
second is PRINT#. The third line is how these 
samenumbersgo toafile, even whenwedon'tuse 
the STRSQ function. The difference is that when 
sending tothescreen, the computer automatically 
addsa cursor-tight operation aft 
Asaresult, the numbers on the first two lines are 


each number. 


spread more widely than that of the last line. 
Moral: ifyouwant to exactly match screen output 
to file output, don’t use numeric 
change everything to strings as we have done in 
line 160 above. 


alues; instead, 


Reading From Device 3 (Screen) 

‘Thisis the least known combination, butit ean be 
useful. In particular, GET# from device 3 can bea 
good way to copy the entire screen to a file or 
printer. The following program printsa couple of 
lines at the top of the screen, and then performs 
ahundred GET# operations. Itprints the hundred 
acters both as an ASCH numeric value, and 


char 
then as characters. 


$(147); 


RS(19);"MY DOG H 


130 PR 


OF ‘THEM! 


51 


20 
130 
240 
250 


PRINT 
FOR J 
PRIN 


260 
270 


When you run this program, look close 
numeric values that are printed. Each character 


on the screen is delivered to the GET# routine as 
ASCII (not as a screen (ecle. Thus, a letter A is 
delivered 5, not its screen code of 1, 
But there’ 


is inserted 


URN seduaaies 13)as the 
‘There exception is that if you 
haveadoubleline (ormore-than-doublemultiple 
the RETURN will not be 
shown until you reach the true end of the line. 
Thisisan elegant way of dumpingascreen: GET? 
a thousand characters (or two thousand, for an 


sereen 


on some machines 


80columnscreen),andyou 


restoreit, analy 
it, or send it to another computer. 

INPUT# from device 3, in contrast, is a 
problem. It works after a fashion, but has all 
kinds of difficulties. If you want to play around 
with it, try the following rules, First, position the 
cursorcarefully before performing each INPUTS, 
and don't trust the cursor position to be where 
you think after the operation, Next, don’t try to 
getinformation froma blank line; INPUT#doesn't 
likeit. Another factoris that theINPUT operation 
always trims leading spaces from any string it 
finds, so you won't always get accurate 
representation of a sereen line. Finally, don't be 
surprised if you sometimes get the RETURN 
character as part of the string read by INPUT, 


Summary 
Each of the above access methods its own 
quirks. I've picked the three most useful below. 


~ PRINT# to thescreen delivers screen output in 
Remember that, wherenumbers 
are involved, screen output is not exactly the 
same as output to other devices. 


theusual 


G 
to scoop a whole screen's contents, 


:1# from the screen ean be an effective way 


- INPUT# from device 0 can help eliminate the 
question mark prompt, which is sometimes 
annoying, But you also lose the cursor. 


COMMODORE WORLD 


2 


The three data registers will start to take on individual characteristics, And 
welll prin 
character, 


1 phrase on the screen using a simple loop to walk through each 


A, X, and Y Registers 

All three data registers can load or store data, a number from 0 to 255, an 
ASCH character, or whatever else will fit in eight bits. But each register has 
its own style. For example, the A register, or accumulator, is where the 
computer stages ASCII characters for input and output. Later, you'll see 
that A is also good for addition and subtraction, among other things. 

The X and Y registers are good for counting and pointing. They are 
called inde 
our simple string output example. The powerful thing about input 
registers is not simply that they can count, but they can also be used to 
modify an address. 

Here's how “indexing” works: you already know that an instruction will 
often specify an address in memory, With indexing, this address will be 
“adjusted” by whatever value is in the selected index register, X or Y. 
“Adjusted” meansthat the instruction address will have the register contents 
added to it, making an effecti ure | illustrates the idea: the 
instruction address is a fixed “anchor” pointing somewhere in memory. 
‘The contents of the index register is an adjustable offset that the program 
can change as needed, 

‘This sounds ideal for our project, which is to print a message. The 
instruction will point at the first ter of the message. An index 
register will “walk” along, allowing us to pick out the characters one by 
one and print them, 


isters, and we'll use one of them (either one would do) in 


addres: 


The PRINT call: address $FFD2 

Any time we have a character in the A register ready to be printed, we can 
simply call subroutine CHROUT at $FFD2 and the character will be sent to 
the output stream. That connects to the screen display unless we change it, 
Special characters like cursor movement, color change, and even sereen- 
clear will perform their actions when sent to the screen, Wi 
of printing the standard RETURN character at the end of our output string, 
‘The CHROUT call has an uncommon benefit: it will preserve the contents, 
ofall three data registers. That's often not the case with other system calls. 
When we use those, it will be wise to save the values in A, X, and Y if they 
will be needed again, 


I makea point 


COMMODORE WORLD 


52 


Loops And Incrementing 

Registers X and Y are convenient for use as counters. We ¢ 
value in either register with command INX or INY (increment X, increment 
Y). The contents of the register will be increased by one. There are 
corresponding commands to decrement the registers, DEX and DEY, but 
we won't use them here. As a general rule, counting up is better than 
counting down, We want to go around a loop until the value in the index 
reaches a certain value, This is easy. We can compare X or Y with CPX or 


ree 


‘an increment the 


Higher 
Henory 
Addresses 


= 


Instruction 


Op Code 


tion o indexing, the 
inatruction in increased 


lex register 


Figure 1. Tf an inst 
addr supplied tn the 
by the vatue in the tr 
The instruct ton addre: 
program runs, the (nde 4 
create a variable ~ 


OC or Y). 


to 


CPY, following which BNE, Branch Not Equal, will take us back if we 
haven't reached our target. 

Remember that the data registers can contain values ranging from 0 to 
5 (hex 00 to FF), so that’s our limit for simple counting. It also limits the 
ch” of indexing. If our message were 300 characters in length, for 
example, an index wouldn't be able to reach all the characters. We'd need 
to use another method (“indirect addressing”, coming up later). 


The Program 
It seems that every first program says "HELLO WORLD”, Let's expand our 
thinking and say HELLO UNIVERSE!, complete with a RETURN character 
at theend. Fixed information such as this string is usually placed behind the 
program code, but we don’t know where our code will end yet, 

Ifwe leta symbolic assembler figure that out for us, our program would 
take the following form: 


Issue 12 


3 call the 


+ have we sent 16 characters? 


; if not, go back 


if so, return to Bi 


enifyouh 
first time we 
we load the first character at whatever location MESS. 
next timearound, Xis equal to 1, and so indexing 
character, and so on, 

An experienced user would also ask thesymboli mblertocaleulate 
the length of the message, but we'll just put the count of 16 in there for 
the moment. There would likely be even more comments than those I 
have supplied here. 


Coding with the Machine Language Monitor 
One problem we will need to solve here is that of a “forward reference”. 
the point where we need to insert the address of MESSAGE, we won't 
know where it is. There are two ways to solve this problem. The easy way 
to leave extra space. The slightly harder method is to go back and fix the 
code when you find out where the address will be. That's what a symbolic 
assembler does automatically, We'll use the easy method here, but you're 
welcome to take extra steps. 

Enterthe Machine Language Monitor program and get ready for the first 
line. 


2000 1 


> 


aE. We can 
our program is unlikely to be over 32 bytes long, so $2020 
age (32 decimal is hex 20). 


The next line is where we need to enter the address of M 
takea fair gu 
would be a reasonable place for the me 


A 2002 LDA 2020, 


Try to think of that comma as a plus sign. That's really what happens with 
indexing. 


2005 


Now we're printing the character. And we rejoice in the fact that the 
contents of X will not have been disturbed, so we can continue by counting. 
A 2008 INX 

A 2009 CPX #$10 


‘There are sixteen characters in our message, and decimal 16 is hexadecimal 
10. Your MLM may allow you to code #+16, in which case you'll see it 
changed to hex as you press RETURN. 


January 1996 


53 


Thisisa backwards branch, so we won't need to do any forwards-gues 
on the address. 


A 200D 


You'll see a prompt of A 200E, but we have no more code to input, so just 
press RETURN, Youcan see that $2008 is our first free address, so we could 
put the message right here. If you do so, remember to go back and change 
the instruction at $2002 so thatit shows the correct address. Butit’s also all 
right to leave the address as it is, with a few empty bytes between the 
program and its data, Now we need to switch mental gears. The last piece 
of information we need to put into memor 

, You just put i 
first display memory with command: 


is the message, It’s not a 


program. You can not assemble nto memory. To dot 


You'll get two or three lines of data, showing what's in memory. ‘The 
memory values are those two-cl The four- 
and the stuffon 
you see might 


racter hexadecimal numbers 
digit number ofthe right is the address that starts the line 
the left is corresponding ASCII when appropriate, The data 
be anything. Now the task is to change it to our message. 

50 back to the line that starts with address 2020 and type over the two- 
character hex numbers. When you have filled in the eight or sixteen values 
online, press RETURN. You may need to keep going on the next line, so 


don't forget to press RETURN again if you do. The bytes you enter should 
be: 


48 45 4c 4c 


20 55 4E 49 56 45 52 @D 
When you press RETURN, look at the right-hand side of the line and you 


should see the correct characters for HELLO UNIVERSE! there. It’s a good 


check on your data entry. 


Running The Program And Saving It 

Return to BASIC (with command X, exit), command SYS 8192, and you 
should see your hello message. When you have confirmed that it runs 
properly, re-enter the MLM and we'll save the program just written onto a 
disk file. Type the following command; 


“0 


sLO.MSG" ,@B, 2000, 2030 


You have probably figured that command S$ stands for Save, and that the 
following string is the file name. The next value is the device (8 for disk, of 
course), followed by the start address and the last address plus one. 

it's down around $200D, you 
can lower the second address in the save command accordingl 


Ifyou've closed up your message so t 


Remember, it's not the address of the last byte, it’s one higher. Later, if 


you want to load this program from BASIC, remember that on most 
machines you must command; 


LOAD “F 


SLLO.M 


"8,1 


‘That final 1 isto insist that the computer must not relocate the program as 
. fit were relocated, you wouldn't know what address to SYS tol 


it loads 


€) 


COMMODORE WORLD 


How to Type In Program Listings Appearing in 
Commodore World 


While Commodore World currently doesn’t make it a habit of publishing 
type-in programs, a number of our columns do require entering sample 
routines. For this purpose, we have created our CHK-LIST utility for the 
Commodore 64 and 128. This utility uses a 16-bit CRC checksum method 
to verify that you have correctly entered each program line, and that each 
of the characters in the program lines are in the correct order. 


You'll notice that program listings appear with a column of values to the 
left of the program lines. These values are the CHK-LIST v 
to be entered as part of the program. A similar set of values are generated 
by the CHK-LIST utility to allow you to verify that everything has been 
entered correctly. 
inter the CHK-LIST program from BASIC. You can use either a C-64 or 
°-128 computer. Ifyou use a C-128, it can be in either 64 or 128 mode. Be 
sure to enter each line carefully to avoid mistakes—until you actu 
CHK-LIST working, finding errors in program entry won't be ea 
you have finished entering the program, be sure to a copy to disk 
before you attempt to RUN it, justin case. Ifyou aren't familiar with how to 
save a program to disk, you can use the following command: 


ues and are not 


SAVE"CHK: 


Touse CHK-LIST, loadit intoyourcomputerand type RUN. Makesure that 
any program you are currently working on is saved first, or start CHK-LIST. 
before you begin typing in a new program. After you have CHK-LIST in 
memory and running, type NEW. Y now either load or begin typing 
the program you wish to have CHK-LIST check on. Whenever you want to 
check your program, type in the appropriate SYS command given below: 


C-64 or C-128 in 64 mode: 
C-128 in 128 mode: 


Note that when typing in listings, some special characters will appear in 

ces. For example, {(CLR/HOME) means that you should enter the Clear 
h is done by holding down the SHIFT key while you press the 
Other times you may seea number ahead of the key name, such 
as {3 SPACES} or {5 CRSR L) youshould press the key indicated 
thenumberoftimes shown. Most special keysare easy to identify, since the 
text shown will generally match the text onthe kt ptionsare thespace 
bar {SPACE}, and cursor keys which include directions ({CRSR UP}, {CRSR 
DN}, (CRSR LJ and {(CRSR RT}). Be sure to use the correct key combinations 
for color keys, such as <CTRL><2> for {WHT}. 


‘Thismean: 


@7FO | 32 POKE 
578A | 40 PRIN 
N DATA 
0679 | 50 
8D92 | 60 
E7FE | 49 
B2AE 
CD50 
cep DATA 
2058 DATA 238,37,193, 


DATA 
DATA 251,32,2 


1,-236,169,61,32,21¢ ; 
D52F 

3 D,255,160,2,177 

13,192,-19,200,177,25 DCA6 


936E 
8C3A 


EB74 
6095 


AQO1 


EBFD 132,210, 
1,190, 


,192,-19,169, 


E907 
E8EA 


A7D7 


6040 


B 


9,70,0,@, -256,37944 


COMMODORE WORLD 


54 


Issue 12 


AMIGA 


Repairs ¢ Upgrades ¢ Sales 
Factory Trained Techs + Flat Rate + parts * 90 Day Warranty 


Buy ¢ Sell ¢ Trade 


Amiga Computers + Monitors * Accessories 


BSP 


Voice 908 245-1313 


Fax 908 245-9409 
WANT MAILINGS? FAX NAME + ADD + PHONE + FAX 


ve? 


809 
it 


We buy, sell, and trade used original software. Lowest 
prices for C64, C128, Amiga, and IBM. Mention this ad 
and your computer type for a free list. Call our BBS for a 


complete list within minutes. . 
mplete list within minute: Call or write: 


ENTSIBLE 
OFTWARE 


P.O. Box 930 
St. Joseph, MI 49085 
Phone: 616-428-9096 


BBS: 
8N1 1200-28,8k 
616-429-7211 


Ask for a list via Internet: 
CENTSIBLE@DELPHI.COM 


64/1541 Repair - $40 
*SPECIAL* 
C64, 1541, J-S+Sft. - $99 


We carry a full line of hard- 
ware, software & maga- 
zines, both new & used, in- 
cluding European items. 
Our flat-rate repairs in- 
clude both parts & labor. 
Call for details. Trade in 
your unwanted items. 
Catalog - $2.95 
Aut Mor Creoir 
Caros Accepteo. 
We carry a full line of 
‘Amiga Products. 


Everything forCommodore Computers 
Selle Trade» Repair» Buy 
1420 County Rd. 914 
Burleson, TX 76028 

817-295-7658 

817-447-6974 - Voice/FAX line 


ALL STORE ITEMS HAVE A 00 DAY WARRANTY. IF, FOR SOME 
REASON YOU ARE DISSATISFIED IN YOUR PRODUCT, YOU MAY 
RETURN If FOR REPLACEMENT OR STORE CREDIT ONLY, 
SORRY, NO REFUNDS. 


Bounce around mazes fixing 
bricks and gathering bonuses 
while avoiding obstacles in 
Pogo Stick, a multi-level 
arcade style gamo for the 64. 
Fix all the bricks before the ; 
hour glass empties to go to games to disk 
the next lovel. © High Scores 
Elther game To order send a check or money Both games are for a 
only $11.95 order (in US funds) to: Commodore 
Yanney Software 

P.O. Box 224 
ebanon, PA 17042-0224 


‘Super Pogo Stick Adds: 

© 25 different mazes (with the 
ability to use even more) 

© More obstacles & bonuses 

© Ability to Save and Load 


Both games 
for $19.95 


January 1996 


55 


ESCAPE ROUTE 


The Adventures of Eric Hawthorne, P.I. 
A combination of action, board, 
and strategy games. Help Eric track 
the infamous ICELADY who has 
stolen the rare Acme Diamond! 

wa} Fun for everyone! For the C-64 or 
£4 <, C-128 in 64 mode. 

Send check or M.O. for $19.95 to CREATIVE 
PIXELS, P.O. Box 592, Library, PA 15129 


(All Aboard the Commodore 
Information Supersubway! 


‘The Underground is a grass-roots Commodore 
publication produced with 8-bit_ computers, 
Geos, and a Postscript laser printer. For a mere 
SII per year, you'll get helpful features, current 
reviews, and columns on everything from 
projects to PD software. A sample issue of the 


Underground is only $2--why not give ita try? 


THE UNDERGROUND, 4574 Via Santa Maria, Santa Maria, CA 93455 
|Can/Mex: US$2.25/sample, $12.50/one year. Intemational; USS3.75/sample, $21,50/one yoar. 


Refurbished Units & Repair Service ! 
C-64 Refurb. with P/S (No books) $54.95 
C-64 Refurb. without P/S (No books) 46.95 
1541 Refurb. with cord, serial cable (No books/disks) 64.95 
Monitor Cable, 5S-pin DIN to RCA jacks 4.95 
Serial Cable, 6-pin DIN, 6’ 8.95 
Commodore Power Supply for C-64 (used, tested) 7.95 
Power Cord for 1541 3.95 
Power Supply for 1541-II 19.95 
Printers/Monitors: We have a limited supply of C-64 
compatible printers and monitors. Write for current list & prices. 
Ribbons: We stock ribbons for most Commodore and C-64 
compatible printers. Write for current list & prices. 


Service: We will repair or replace: 
C-64 (notincluding P/S) $ 35.00 
1541 $ 45.00 
Service price includes parts and labor. 
Send computer or disk drive with name, 
address, phone #, & describe problem. 
Repair or refurbished replacement will be 


shipped UPS. 
(Please remove any non-Commodore upgrades) 


Commodore Repairs 
Since 1979 
90 Day Warranty 
on all repairs 
and refurbished items, 
Write for 
unadvertised specials! 


TO ORDER: Send check or money order for the total of your order 
plus $6.00 shipping (Personal checks take 2 weeks to clear). For 
COD orders, add $5.00. We currently do not accept credit cards. 


Unique Services 
68 Velma Avenue, Pittsfield, MA 01201 


Alll items subject to availability. Prices subject to change. 
MA residents add 5% sales tax (except for service) 


(413) 496-9275 


COMMODORE WORLD 


s to share 


Doravi 


C64/128 PUBLIC DOMAIN. 
SEND $2 FC DEMO & CA’ 


C-64 FOREIGN-AMERICAN Utilities, Graphics, 
Hacker, Arcade. ; catalog. Home 

Spun Software, CW,Estero,FL. 33928 

For sale ystem with software. Send 

for a l 1750 Patrick 


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t ars $16. 713E.} 
k 67301-3726, Month 


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= lance, 
COMMODORE WORLD 


Classified Advertising 


Commodore Worldsubscribers may place non-commercial 
classified advertising in Commodore World at a cost of 


$10.00 per issue. Your advertisement may contain up to 
150 characters (including spaces). Send your 
advertisement with paymentto: CW Classified Advertising, 
c/o Creative Micro Designs, Inc., P.O. Box 646, East 
Longmeadow MA 01028-0646. 


CW & RUN BACK ISSUES 


For years, RUN Magazine provided Commodore Users with a great source 
of information, and now CMD has given you Commodore World. Don't let 
this valuable information slip away—fill in the voids in your library now! 


RUN Magazine Back Issues 
Any 3 issues for $12.00, any 6 for $18.00, 
or any 12 for only $24.00 


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COMMODORE WORLD 56 


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ers) 
(Classified) 56 


1. Title of Publication: Commodore World Magazine. 2, Publication No. 

1078-2516, 3, Filing Date: 09/29/95. 4. Issue Frequency: Bi-Quarterly. 5. 
No. of Issues Published Anually: 8, 6. Annual Subscription Price: $29.95 
7. Complete Mailing Address of Known Office of Publication: Creative 
Micro Designs, Inc., P.O, Box 646, 15 Benton Dr., East Longmeadow, MA 
01028-0646. 8, Complete Mailing Address of Headquarters or General 
Business Office of Publisher: P.O. Box 646, 15 Benton Dr., East 
Longmeadow, MA 01028-0646. 9. Full Names and Complete Mailing 
Address of Publisher, Editor and Managing Editor: Publisher: Creative 
Micro Designs, Inc., P.O, Box 646, East Longmeadow, MA 01028-0646 
Editor: Douglas Cotton, P.O, Box 646, East Longmeadow, MA 01028- 
0646. Managing Editor; Charles R. Christianson, P.O, Box 646, East 
Longmeadow, MA 01028-0646, 10. Owner: Creative Micro Designs, Inc., 
P.O. Box 646, East Longmeadow, MA 01028-0646, Partners: Ruth A 

Christianson, P.O. Box 646, East Longmeadow, MA 01028-0646; Charles 
A. Christianson, P.O, Box 646, East Longmeadow, MA 01028-0646; Mark 
A. Fellows, P.O, Box 646, East Longmeadow, MA 01028-0646. 11. 
Known Bondholders, Mortgages, and Other Security Holders Owning or 
Holding 1 Percent or More of Total Amount of Bonds, Mortgages, or Other 
Securites: None. 12. For completion by nonprofit organizations authorized 
tomailat special rates: Not Applicable. 13, Publication Name: Commodore 
World Magazine. 14. Issue Date for Circulation Data Below: Issue 10 
Issues 5 through 10. 15. Extent and Nature of Circulation; (x) Average No. 
Copies Each Issue During Preceding 12 Months. (Y) Actual No. Copies of 
Single Issue Published Nearest to Filing Date. a. Total No. Copies: (X) 
3997 (Y) 5300. b. Paid and/or Requested Circulation: 1, Sales Through 
Dealers and Carriers, Street Vendors, and Counter Sales: (X) 148 (Y) 163, 

2. Paid or Requested Mail Subscriptions: (X) 3158 (Y) 3852. c. Total Paid 
and/or Requested Circulation: (x) 3278 (Y) 3987. d. Free Distribution by 
Mail: (X) 200 (Y) 1050. e. Free Distribution Outside the Mail: (X) 14 (Y) 17. 
f. Total Free Distribution: (x) 214 (Y) 1067. g. Total Distribution: (x) 3492 
(Y) 5054. h. Copies Not Distributed: 1. Office Use, Leftovers, Spoiled: (x) 
529 (Y) 246, 2. Return from News Agents: (X) 0 (Y) 0. i. Total: (x) 4021 (Y) 
5300. Percent Paid and/or Requested Circulation: (X) 93.87% (Y) 78.88%. 


Issue 12 


aD ) 


iN TOUCH? 


CALUICMD) 


{-B00-636:32b3 


Fo Supserigs 


i... World is the publication 
that will keep you informed in these times 
when up-to-date information on 
Commodore computing is so hard to find, 
Published by Creative Micro Designs, the 
industry leader in development of 
Commodore-related products for over six 
years, Commodore World will supply you 
with information on what's new, what's still 
available, and above all else—where to 
get it. If you felt you had nowhere to turn 
to for Commodore support, turn to the 
pages of Commodore World for a wealth 
of resources ready to help you get the 
most from your computer! 

You'll find Commodore World feature 
articles informative and easy to read; 
what's more, they're written by leading 
authorities and experts, many of whom 
have written for other Commodore-related 
publications in the past. And Commodore 
World has something for everyone, 
whether you're a novice or an experienced 
programmer. 


= Sas LE eee 


Ee aE Cat Fes 


And while our feature articles help to 
cover different subjects in each issue, 
regular columns provide on-going insight 
into topics of interest to most users. You'll 
find columns that cover BASIC and 
advanced programming, and even a 
column for GEOS programming. And if you 
prefer being a GEOS user to being a 
GEOS programmer, you'll find another 
column devoted to helping you get more 
out of GEOS. If you want to learn more 
about using and programming the various 
peripherals on your system—you guessed 
it, we've got a column for that as well. Even 
first-time Commodore users will find a 
column devoted specifically to their needs. 

And there's even more. Departments 
that cover news, telecommunications, 
reviews of available hardware and 
software; even news of what's happening 
in other Commodore-related publications! 

So, if you really want to get the most 
from your Commodore, there's no better 
way to get it than Commodore World! 


— eas f  e lS (aw sf 


Columns 
dust For Starters - An introduction to the C64/ 
128 by Steve VanderArk 
Foreign Exchange - An inside look at the market 
in Europe by Joseph Gaudl 
Graphic Interpretation - GEOS, GEOS and more 
GEOS by Steve VanderArk 
geoProgrammist - GEOS programming 
techniques by Maurice Randall 
BASIC Instincts - BASIC tutorials and type-in 
programs by Gene Barker 
dim Butterfield's ML Column - Probably the best 
known name in our industry, Jim covers every 
aspect of programming in ML (coming soon) 
Peripheral Vision - Technical insights to C-64/128 
hardware peripherals 
Carrier Detect - Exploring every facet of the 
Telecommunications experience 
Over The Edge - Editorial covering various 
computer related topics and news 


Departments 
From The Editor + BackTalk * On The Horizon 
Just Asking * The Connection + Top Tips 


User Group Connection * Commodore Trivia 
BBS Spotlight + Classified Ads 


‘ 
4 


LW NNGRS: 
with CME’s. 


Now C-128 owners can share in.the excitement of CMD’s 
new. SuperCPU accelerator for the Commodore C-64 and C-128. 


Our decision to produce the C-128 version 
of the SuperCPU.was based on the 


overwhe ing number of requests we 
rece m C-128 users. 
pecifications of the C-128 version 


will be virtually identical to its C-64 
counterpart, and will support'both C-64 and 
C-128 modes. Naturally, the SuperCPU 128 
will have. additional RAM, ROM and custom 
logic to support these ‘capabilities, but will 
only be available as a 20 Mhz model. 

The development: of the C-128 version 
does, however, come at.a price. In order to 
co-develop the two. versions, we have had 
iis to push back. our original’ delivery. date of 
7 February, 1996 for the SuperCPU 64. Our new release date for the C-64 version is noly, April, — 

1996; the C-128 version will be released approximately.90 days later. At this time\we Cannot 

project a retail price with any accuracy. However, we would like to keep the price below 

$300.00. Therefore, we will NOT be accepting SuperCPU 128 deposits until such time as we 
can offer an accurate estimated retail price. For additional information on the SuperCPU, 
please see the article.on page 24 of this issue of Commodore World. 


rn 
ae . 


Enclosed is my advanced order for the SuperCPU 64/20 (20 MHz). 
| understand that a deposit of $50.00 per unit is required. 


Name 


: - Create Micro Designs, Ine, 
Address P.O. Box646 
City —CSState/Provw E Longmeadow, MA01028-0646 


Country = ZIP/Postal Code 


Home Phone____ _ Day Phone 


| Payment: 1 Credit Card 1 Money Order ‘4 Personal Check 4 COD 
Credit Card # Exp. Date Bank Name. 


We prosecute anyone placing fraudulent credit card orders